The Hidden Seal
by Mendeia
Summary: "...Or; Snow White Sakura." A retelling of Snow White with a CCS twist. When evil times come to the Kingdom of Clow, a hidden magic may be the only hope for Sakura, Syaoran, and the Kinomoto family. But who will unlock the Seal? Will Sakura find her inner courage and light? And can Syaoran protect the one he loves against an evil queen? Updated weekly.
1. Chapter 1

Hello all!

Originally I was going to post this later in the year, but the next story to go up after this one will be my 100th officially (counting oneshots which are rolled up here as separate stories excepting Spirited which is one coherent project) and my beta and I both thought that would be better suited to a crossover between 2 of my primary series. Therefore, we get Snow White Sakura first!

Yes, this is a loose retelling of the story of Snow White through the lens of CardCaptor Sakura. LOOSE, you guys. It also has some elements of Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle in it, particularly in this first chapter. But soon enough this story will become a thing of its own.

Also? I just want to say that this story really helped me out when I was in a bad place. I was frustrated by the lack of ability to finish my first proper original novel and was having all these deep doubts about myself. So I took 2 months off and wrote this in about 6.5 weeks and found my own courage out of Sakura's heart and Syaoran's courage. In one week I finished the novel as though I had never stopped.

By the way – Syaoran is AWESOME. Let's just put it out there. Sakura is also awesome, but I seem to find more and more to admire in our Li Syaoran.

Anyway. I hope you enjoy this, and if by some chance you need the same miracle I did, I hope this leads you to your own.

Enjoy!

* * *

Once upon a time in a world far away, there was a peaceful and prosperous land known as the Kingdom of Clow. This kingdom had been ruled for many, many years by a wise and long-lived, powerful magician known as Clow Reed. As ruler, Clow Reed had turned his considerable and vast powers to the defense and care of all the people within the lands of Clow, serving and protecting them in every way available to him. As such, the Kingdom of Clow was among the most peaceful and joy-filled anywhere.

But peace and even joy cannot last forever – at times, they must be balanced by sorrow and strife.

After living and ruling far longer than an average person's lifespan, Clow Reed's time to pass on arrived and he did not resist it. Clow Reed had embraced balance throughout his life, and for him to have lived well he had always known he must also someday die. However, being so powerful and with so much magic sustaining his people, magic required to maintain the happy ways of the kingdom, Clow Reed knew that when it happened he must pass on his legacy with great care.

Thus, in his last hours, he summoned to him the two Guardians he had created to watch over his many powers, and the Six Keepers at the heart of them.

"My time has come," he said to them in the same easy voice they knew so well. "But you must not join me where I now journey."

"What will happen to us?" Keroberos, his Sun Guardian, asked with his usual directness.

"You will remain as you are for as long as you can, and you will continue to protect and serve this kingdom," Clow told him.

He looked to his Six Keepers and allowed them to reach out with their magic to touch him, connecting to their creator one last time. "It will be most difficult for you and those under you, I think. But you must take care of all those beneath your purview, and you must prevent them from causing trouble or wasting their powers. I trust you will protect them even as you protect my people."

But it was Yue, the Moon Guardian, who frowned sharply. "Clow. If you die, all of us will eventually fade. Even your magic will not last forever."

Clow Reed smiled faintly. "You are correct, Yue. But you will not have to wait forever. Someday, another magician will appear. Someone with a pure, kind heart and power equal to my own. That is the person who will become your new master, and they will hold the power that will sustain you thereafter."

Clow Reed held out a hand and closed his eyes. "Come forth," he whispered.

There in his palm glowed a faint light which swirled and brightened for an instant before it winked out, leaving behind a small item – a tiny key with the head of a swan.

"I have placed a Seal on this Key. Only one deserving of being your master will be able to break it. When this Key's magic is released, you will be able to draw power from a new master, and that person will inherit my legacy and my kingdom. It is my wish that you serve and love that person as you have all served and loved me."

"But, Clow," Keroberos said. "It may be years before this person appears. Who is to rule the kingdom until then?"

"I will pass rulership jointly to the house of Kinomoto, whose family have been my faithful and loyal Stewards for many years, and to the house of Amamiya, whose family will serve as High Priests for the kingdom. Together, these two houses will protect our kingdom and will watch for my one true heir, the one who will break the Seal on this Key and arise as your new master."

"And what if we don't want a new master?" Yue asked with slight control over his emotions.

Clow Reed smiled at him and at Keroberos and at the Six Keepers of his powers. "Believe in me, my dearest ones. For I have seen that you will all be well cared-for and loved by the one who can break my Seal, and that one will surpass even I in time. Do not fear to love those who come in the years ahead, for love is what will sustain you long after even my power has faded."

These were the final words of Clow Reed.

-==OOO==-

Many, many years passed.

As Clow had predicted, with time came greater and greater weakness to many of his magics and creations. Though Clow Reed had left behind more power than any number of magicians would ever be able to summon together through the whole of their lives, Clow's own creations were too many and too varied for them all to live untroubled. In time, many of the weakest ones fell into a dormant slumber, entrusting themselves to their Six Keepers and waiting until a new master would summon them. The Six Keepers fared better, their powers greater, and they were held up by those under them as well.

But Keroberos and Yue consumed enormous power just by existing in their true forms. And though both drew power from the sun and moon respectively, that, too, eventually proved not quite enough to sustain them. To continue to serve the Kingdom of Clow and to survive in wait, after two centuries without Clow they were forced to retreat to their own usually dormant forms, forms that locked most of their power away and allowed them to endure far longer without a master. These forms also left them far more vulnerable, however.

Keroberos's false form was that of a small, yellow bear with wings, not unlike a toy that might be given unto a child. In this form, Keroberos could still fly and breathe fire, and his strength was still great, but his other magics were gone from him. He could sense magic, but not at so great a range or with such certainty. Yue's false form was even more limited, though, being the body of a young, white-grey haired man named Yukito. Yukito was a fully independent personality and mind, which allowed Yue to rest far more profoundly than Keroberos could – which was necessary, as Yue's powers were fading far more quickly than his sun counterpart's. Yukito could communicate with Yue, and Yue was fully aware of everything Yukito could perceive, but that was the extent of his abilities in his false form.

But no matter how much time passed or how weak they became, Keroberos and Yue continued to endure and to protect the Kingdom of Clow, trusting the final words of their master that someday they would find one who could break the Seal on the Key and restore their powers and their hearts – for without Clow, they were very lonely.

It was another hundred years before the Guardians had reason to hope. The current heir to the Kinomoto family, a gentle man called Fujitaka, had fallen in love with the High Priestess of the Amamiya family, Nadeshiko. The Guardians and the Six Keepers had given their blessing for the families to unite after so long, their very souls resonating with a sense of inevitability around the young couple. Their suspicions were proven correct when, within a year of their marriage, the couple produced a son named Touya who bore a potent magical gift.

However, in spite of her son's power and her own significant talent for foresight and fortune-telling, High Priestess Nadeshiko said nothing when the Guardians questioned her, smiling quietly and assuring them that everything would be well in time.

Seven years after Touya's birth, Fujitaka and Nadeshiko welcomed another child to the family, a girl they named Sakura. Keroberos and Yue examined her as they had her older brother, and while they found that she did bear a magical signature of her own, it did not have the force and depth of Touya's. However, it was still a comfort to the Guardians, for it proved that a magical legacy was clearly beginning to arise between the Kinomoto and Amamiya houses, and they felt certain this must someday lead to the person Clow Reed had foretold – the person who would surpass him and become their new master and the ruler of the Kingdom of Clow.

Touya, aware of his magical powers and fully cognizant of the expectations and hopes all around him that he might someday break the Seal on the Key, grew up rather stiff and cool to others, hiding a shyness only his family and Yukito truly understood. Indeed, as much as Keroberos and Yue were drawn to Touya because of his magic, Yukito found he was fond of the boy as well, and for entirely different reasons. Touya was a bit like himself – held apart in the world by a legacy he did not choose. Both Touya and Yukito lived for the Kingdom of Clow, and yet neither were in a position to do much for its benefit.

But unlike Touya, Sakura was a bright, cheerful, energetic child. While she did not have the powerful magic of her mother and brother singing out of her every instant, she had her mother's warm kindness and hopeful outlook, and her father's loyalty and interest in the world. Sakura took no interest in learning the trade of Steward as Touya had, and did not excel at studying fortune-telling with her mother, so she instead spent most of her energy and effort being helpful in other ways.

If Fujitaka was up late with a matter of state, she brought him a snack and a smile. If Nadeshiko was struggling with a vision or a spell, Sakura would try to lift her spirits with cheer. Sakura might have been in danger of viewing her brother with awe and discomfort except that Touya constantly teased her, cultivating a sibling relationship based on laughter and frustration rather than unwarranted distance.

Sakura also had the easiest smile and the least burdened mind of her family, not only because of her youth, but because she was the least aware of the slowly fading magic all around her. Keroberos and Yue kept themselves hidden from both Touya and Sakura – though Touya was aware of them in spite of Yue's retreat into Yukito and Keroberos's tendency to hide elsewhere in the castle – and the Six Keepers were even more removed. Fujitaka could see the magical defenses and spells that kept the land healthy and the crops plentiful and disease at bay slowly cracking when blight or drought appeared; Nadeshiko's visions of the future grew darker and muddier and more tragic; Touya could acutely sense the magic dying everywhere – only Sakura was ignorant of the severity of the true plight of the Kingdom of Clow, and her family kept her that way.

If her smile was the only light left to them, not one of them would see it extinguished.

On the day Sakura turned seven years old, a strange boy appeared at the castle gate, requesting an interview with Kinomoto Fujitaka and Kinomoto Nadeshiko in a polite manner many years older than his appearance. Because it was Sakura's birthday, she begged to be allowed to join her parents for the interview in the small receiving chamber they used. Not to be left out, Touya followed, Yukito surreptitiously in his wake.

Sakura stood to one side of the dais beside her brother and Yukito while the mysterious boy dropped to one knee before her father and mother.

"My name is Li Syaoran," the boy said, his big eyes focused and intent as he did not flinch from the two powerful Stewards of the land. "I have come here to be tested to see if I am the inheritor of the powers of Clow Reed."

Fujitaka did not seem surprised and he simply smiled gently. "May I ask what it is that gives you the courage to think that you might be his heir?"

The boy never faltered. "I am a blood relative of Clow Reed as a part of the Li Clan. I am the first son in two hundred years to bear enough magic for any test you might require."

"And is it your will to rule the Kingdom of Clow?" Nadeshiko asked.

Here the boy blinked, and when he answered, his voice was softer. "Not really. But it is my duty as the first magician of the Li Clan to try."

"You are very young," Fujitaka said. "It is possible even if we test you now that you may prove worthy of the legacy only once you have grown into your powers."

Syaoran nodded. "That is true. I am prepared to be tested now and to remain here to be tested again as often as is needed."

Nadeshiko nodded. "Very well. Come with me into the sacred chamber in the tower."

The boy rose from his kneeling position to follow Nadeshiko, but his eyes trailed to the small group to one side. His gaze narrowed at both Yukito and Touya – and the latter glared fiercely at him as well – but when he found his searching met by Sakura's frank, friendly expression, he felt something within him shift. Though raised in a vast and powerful Clan, Syaoran's childhood had been rather cold and friendless.

And there was enough warmth in Sakura's eyes to melt his whole life of ice.

As Syaoran disappeared into the hallway with Nadeshiko, Sakura turned to her brother and Yukito.

"What is the test like?" She knew Touya had experienced it as well himself; she did not have enough magic to be worthy to try.

Touya shrugged. "Not much."

It was Yukito who dropped closer to Sakura's level and explained. "The High Priestess will read his spirit to see what sort of magic he holds inside, and what sort of heart. To have any hope of releasing the Seal of the Key, he must have a very pure heart and a great deal of power."

"Oh." Then Sakura looked up at Touya. "But couldn't you do it, Big Brother?"

Touya shrugged again. "Mother and I...don't think I have the right sort of power."

"What sort do you have?"

At this, Touya reached down and vigorously rubbed Sakura's head. "The sort that doesn't want to answer any more questions, you little monster!"

"Stop that!" Sakura protested, squeaking indignantly and trying to protect her hair. "I'm not a monster!"

Yukito rolled his eyes at Touya, but did not interfere, merely trading knowing looks with Fujitaka who had remained nearby. The pair of siblings squabbled for several more minutes until the door opened and Nadeshiko emerged with the boy beside her.

Nadeshiko was smiling and stopped a pace behind Syaoran's shoulder. "Li Syaoran does not yet pass the test for consideration of Clow Reed's legacy. However, I have seen that he deserves the right to stay here with us to continue to study and let his magic grow such that he may try again someday. I have invited him to live at the palace with us in the meantime."

Touya crossed his arms and looked aggressively bored while Fujitaka and Yukito both smiled at the young man in polite welcome.

But Sakura darted forward and held out her hands. "My name is Kinomoto Sakura. Today is my seventh birthday. Would you like to come to my party?"

"Oi, Sakura, I don't think-" Touya began, cutting off abruptly at a sharp, meaning-filled look from his mother.

Syaoran hesitated. He glanced to the High Priestess, his mind racing with the vow she had requested of him and he had sworn on his very honor and magic to keep. Then he stretched out his own hands and allowed Sakura to clasp them.

"As you like, I guess," he said a little awkwardly.

"Yay!" Sakura cheered. "And when it is your birthday, you must let me give you a party, too!"

"Very well."

And so Li Syaoran became another magical member of the castle's household.

-==OOO==-

A few weeks later, Syaoran was in the gardens practicing his magic and his sword-work together. In spite of being less than a year older than Kinomoto Sakura, Syaoran had been trained from the day he could crawl to every form of martial art of which the Li Clan boasted mastery. He was balancing carefully in a defensive stance with his jian outstretched, directing a gust of wind, when he sensed a familiar presence nearby.

Syaoran looked up and almost blew his wind magic back upon himself in surprise – Sakura was watching him.

Startled, he lost his balance and he toppled over with a groan as the wind soared out of control and thoroughly ruffled the branches of a nearby tree. Syaoran dismissed his jian and rubbed his hip where he had bounced off a rock.

"I'm so sorry!"

Syaoran was startled for a second time to realize Sakura was right beside him and he flailed sideways before regaining some semblance of balance. "Aagh!" Then, collecting himself, he glanced at her worried face and big eyes and quickly looked away. "It's nothing. What do you want?"

"I didn't mean to surprise you," Sakura said. "I'm really sorry! But what you were doing...it's amazing!"

Syaoran shrugged. "It is what is expected of me."

"Well, I think it's amazing. Hey, will you show me where your sword went?"

Syaoran looked up at her with curiosity. "You don't even know that much?"

Sakura's hopeful expression fell. "No. I...I don't know how to use magic. I'm not very good at it."

Syaoran was heir to the proud Li Clan, true, but he had also come from a family with four older sisters, a half-dozen girl cousins, and a stately, serene mother. If there was one thing in all the world Li Syaoran could not stand, it was to see sorrow on the face of a girl who should be smiling.

So he could not stop himself from saying, "Here. I'll show you."

"Really? Thank you!" Sakura's face brightened instantly.

Syaoran held out the round pendant on the red tassel. "This was my Father's. He inherited it from his father all the way back to the last Li sorcerer. When I'm older and stronger, I will be able to put my sword into a pocket of magic inside my body. But until then, it's anchored here."

Syaoran let a trickle of power flow through him. The tassel began to glow with a bright golden light. "The sword is tied to my magic. It's always perfectly sharp and never rusts. And it grows with me, too, so it's always the right length. If it broke in a battle, as long as my magic grew strong again, the sword would reform, too."

Sakura's green eyes were warm and wide with wonder. "Is it hard to summon and banish?"

Syaoran shook his head. "No. I've practiced it so much, it's easier than breathing. It's like remembering to put your hands out to catch you when you fall. See?"

And he called his jian back into existence before him.

Sakura stared at the sword another moment before she smiled brightly at him. "I still think it's amazing. You must be very powerful to do this."

Even as she said it, there was such kindness in her words – no expectation or censure – that Syaoran's heart felt a new sort of ease. "Not yet," he told her. "When I am strong enough to bring honor to the Li Clan, then I will believe you."

"But you must bring honor to them already," Sakura said, a frown growing on her face. "You're smart and brave and you came all this way and you're already so magical. I don't have any power to help or protect anybody."

Syaoran was horrified at the sadness creeping into Sakura once more. He searched frantically for words. "But...you let me come to your birthday. And I didn't know anyone here. You were kind to me every day. That...I couldn't have done that."

It won him a small smile. "I think you are kinder than you realize, Syaoran."

The sound of her sweet voice saying his name made something in Syaoran's chest feel tight. So he looked away and said nothing, aware that his cheeks were burning.

"Oh!" Sakura clapped her hands. "The thing I wanted to tell you! I came out here to see if you wanted to come have tea with me and Yukito and my Big Brother and my friends. We have some new cakes that Tomoyo brought with her from her mother's estate."

At this Syaoran blinked at her. "You want me...to come with you?"

"Sure!" Sakura grinned. "You're my friend, right?"

Syaoran had never had a true friend before, and he thought all at once that he might not ever have another friend quite like Sakura, so he nodded solemnly and said, "Yes."

-==OOO==-

Of course, by the time Syaoran's birthday did come around in the high heat of summer he had forgotten all about his first meeting with Sakura. So when she invited him to another tea party one sunny afternoon, he was caught completely off-guard.

"Surprise!" Sakura shouted with clear delight. Beside her, Fujitaka, Yukito, and Nadeshiko were also smiling welcomingly. Touya merely pretended not to see him standing flabbergasted in the doorway.

"What...what is all this?" Syaoran looked around the small sitting room – usually where Sakura took her afternoon snack to share with her friends – and at the many streamers and decorations that adorned it.

Sakura darted to Syaoran's side and grinned. "It's your birthday! I promised, didn't I?"

Syaoran found himself unable to speak. Thankfully, he was saved by Fujitaka.

"My research into the customs of your people suggests that the Li Clan does not celebrate a person's birthday lavishly. That it is a mark of stoic strength to not regard it any differently from any other day. Is this so?"

Syaoran could only nod.

Sakura's face clouded over. "Then...was it wrong to make a party for you?"

Spurned by her crestfallen expression, Syaoran shook himself from his paralysis and managed a smile. Not the one he made when it was necessary to do so for the sake of politeness, but the real one. The one that came from his heart.

"No, it wasn't. I was just surprised. Thank you."

Sakura's own smile went radiantly bright. "I'm so glad! Well, then come and sit. We have your favorite sweets and some presents for you, too!"

And while Fujitaka was polite and solicitous, and Nadeshiko was gentle and friendly, and Yukito was open and kind (and Touya attempted to ignore the whole affair), it was Sakura's cheery laughter and honest friendship that made the day memorable. Not the sweets or the gifts or how Yukito accidentally upended an entire pitcher of cream into Touya's lap after Touya said something rather rude.

Though nothing could outshine the little handmade present Sakura had made just for him, a banner in his own language with his name in his favorite shade of green, which he hung above his bed in his palace room and stared at that night and many after.

He did not stare at the imperfect embroidery, for which Sakura had very little patience though she did try her hardest. He did not stare at the language, which Fujitaka had looked up at his daughter's request, searching his library to find it. He did not stare at the green threads that perfectly matched the ceremonial robes he had worn to his interview on his first day and had put away since. He did not count the hours or days it must have taken Sakura to complete – but he knew with the speed Sakura normally embroidered that she must have begun it very shortly after her own birthday to have finished it on time for him.

He stared instead at the little stitches in a cheery red color in the bottom corner of the hanging that read, "To my friend on his birthday, Kinomoto Sakura."

He read her name a thousand times every night before falling asleep and never dreamed but of a heartfelt, sincere, joy-filled smile.

-==OOO==-

Months later, Syaoran had gotten used to many things that were rather new and different for him. Besides being Sakura's friend, he found himself adopted into a group of all of her friends – mostly the children of others who lived or worked at the palace. Sakura's closest friend was also her cousin named Daidoji Tomoyo whose mother was a grand lady of means who was very close to Sakura's own mother. Syaoran found that even after months he had gained nothing but antagonism from Sakura's older brother, but everyone else in Sakura's little orbit treated him kindly and with a similar warmth. They were becoming a new Clan to him, the members of this Kingdom of Clow, and he was growing very fond of them all.

And yet.

There was no smile quite like Sakura's.

There was no one who said his name quite like she did, even if Syaoran had never called her by name in return.

There was no one Syaoran both longed and feared to see every hour of the day.

There was no one whose presence both made him feel very, very peaceful and yet also made him want to rise up with enough power to gather the whole world in his arms so he could give it to her.

There was no one else who filled Syaoran's heart – once so focused on duty and honor to his Clan – with feelings as warm and bright as the spring itself.

"You love her."

Syaoran was startled out of his thoughts by Tomoyo standing beside him. Syaoran had been looking out one of the castle's broad windows into the gardens where Sakura was practicing acrobatics with a few of the other children under Touya's supervision.

"I...no...I…" Syaoran felt his face heat as though it were on fire.

Tomoyo smiled gently and turned her too-wise eyes to the window. "You haven't told her yet, have you?"

"I…"

"Sakura is very cute and very kind, but she is dense about the things around her," Tomoyo continued to look out the window. "She will not notice your feelings if you do not admit them."

"Admit that I…"

"There are feelings that are best kept in the heart," Tomoyo said softly. "but is your heart all right with that?" Then, clearly aware that she had unsettled the boy, she stepped away from the window and left him alone for a time.

Two weeks later, Syaoran found Tomoyo looking out the same window, watching Sakura in the garden once again.

"I can't tell her," he said without any introduction.

But Tomoyo didn't need one. "Oh? Why is that?"

Syaoran turned his own gaze to the little girl racing on the grass below. "She...loves everyone. And her smile keeps everyone happy, no matter how worried they are about the kingdom or anything else. If I tell her what is in my heart, it will trouble her and that smile will vanish."

Tomoyo sighed.

"But I decided that it's all right with me," Syaoran said. "And maybe someday if I inherit the legacy of Clow Reed or that brother of hers does, then everyone will not need her happiness so much. I could tell her then. But…" Syaoran's own heart ached a little. "I do not want to ever make her sad."

Tomoyo nodded. "Then I will pray for a day when the kingdom is happy again so you can tell her what is in your heart."

"Me, too."

But terrible things would happen long before that day ever arrived. For a year later, evil descended upon the land and destroyed any hope that had remained for them all.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you everyone for the response I've had to this story so far! I certainly hope to live up to your expectations and kind words!

All fairy-tales have the happy "once upon a time" and then the "one day an evil time came to pass" parts of the story long before we ever reach "happily ever after." It's time for the evil to come.

Enjoy!

* * *

In the fall of the year when Sakura turned eight and Syaoran nine years of age, a steady feeling of apprehension and disquiet began to seep into the Kingdom of Clow for those with the magical gift to perceive it.

In the weeks prior to the day of the Autumnal Equinox, High Priestess Nadeshiko retreated into her temple many, many times, always seeking a vision or fortune that would help her understand the growing shadow at the edge of her awareness. Touya, also highly aware of such shifts in fate, became increasingly gruff and angry, snapping even at Sakura with a vehemence he had never before shown. The Six Keepers, Keroberos, and Yue – in the form of Yukito – virtually vanished from sight, locking themselves in a study that had once belonged to Clow Reed and speaking to no one.

Syaoran noted these changes in the people around him, and particularly the worried confusion it caused for Sakura, but he did not himself experience the same foreboding until the very night before the Equinox. On that night, as the full moon rose, Syaoran could not sleep, could barely remain still in his room. Something inside him bubbled and trembled, as though his very blood wished to escape from his skin and flee.

Seeking answers, or perhaps solace, Syaoran climbed out of the window of his room to the palace roof. There, he gazed at the bright full moon; Syaoran's magic was finely attuned to both the sun and moon as Clow Reed's had been, and he felt much stronger and could perceive more closely under the silvery light. But the clarity he sought brought him even more disquiet.

Syaoran also became aware that he was not the only one out under the moonlight.

Though he was on the wrong side of the palace to perceive with his normal sight, he could sense a gathering of moon power that could only be Yukito – or perhaps even Yue himself absorbing what strength he could from the only remaining source of his magic hanging above. Not far away coiled a tense, humming power that Syaoran knew to be Kinomoto Touya. But it was a third beacon of magic that drew him along the tiles to the northern tower which served as the private retreat for the High Priestess.

For Kinomoto Nadeshiko's magic sang not of fear or anxiety, but of pure, profound sorrow.

Syaoran found her sitting on the roof as he had been, her feet tucked under her and her hands open to the sky as though in prayer. He did not interrupt and made very little sound as he approached, knowing well that she could sense him far more keenly than he could her; she had probably known of his arrival before he had left his bedroom.

After a few minutes of watching her steadily, Syaoran made bold to sit beside her.

Nadeshiko dropped her hands and her eyes to look into the dark gardens below.

"Do you remember your promise?" she asked softly.

"Yes." Then, because he needed to understand, he asked, "What is coming? What can I do about it?"

"That which approaches us now is not of import, not the way you think," Nadeshiko said. "I know the form it will take, but even if it appeared as nothing but a songbird, its danger would be the same. It is evil and hatred and vengeance. And power. Such power."

"Then we have to fight it!" Syaoran would have leaped to his feet but for a sudden stilling hand on his shoulder.

"This is a power greater than any leff in the Kingdom of Clow at this time. Should you attempt to combat it, it will overwhelm and destroy you."

Syaoran sat back heavily. "You have seen this, then?"

"I have." Nadeshiko closed her eyes and Syaoran was near enough to see the tear that slipped down her pale cheek. "There is hope, but it will be bought with great pain and suffering first."

"Tell me what to do," Syaoran dropped all pretense of politeness. "Tell me how to help."

Nadeshiko opened her eyes and looked at Syaoran and for an instant Syaoran could not tell if the light in her eyes was a reflection of the moon or her own inner power. "Already I have your sworn promise. That is the first and most important task for you."

Syaoran did not flinch under her gaze. "I will keep my promise. I will protect her no matter what."

She nodded once, sharply. "Good. Even if we fail in everything else, that may be enough."

Syaoran thought of the knowledge Kinomoto Nadeshiko had traded with him more than a year before in exchange for that vow and said nothing.

"But you must not only protect her from harm. You may also need to protect her from the hurt that will soon come upon her. Her heart is gentle and will know great sorrow. You must guard the light within her against the shadows that will fall into her spirit."

Syaoran clenched his teeth at that idea.

"I cannot tell you all that will be. I must trust that you will know what to do for yourself. But if I may offer you one other piece of guidance, it is this: do not let my son's antagonism blind you to his true intentions."

That surprised Syaoran and he knew his face must reflect it, for Nadeshiko smiled a bit.

"My son has a vast reservoir of power within him, but he knows well how and when it must be used. To this end, he will be responsible for several difficult choices which may cause great distress. It may appear to you that he has made the wrong choice. I beg you not to judge him too harshly."

Syaoran was the heir to the Li Clan and a fine and honorable person, but he was not patient and he was also still rather a boy himself, so he huffed and said with more than a hint of petulance, "He never talks to me anyway, so I won't need to tell him if I think he's wrong."

Nadeshiko's smile widened. "My son's feelings toward you are not charitable, I'm afraid. And if you do not yet know why that is so, you will learn it someday. But it is more for the sake of my husband and Sakura that I ask. You must not let them doubt in Touya."

Something in that chilled Syaoran anew. "Won't you be here to tell them? Won't he?"

Nadeshiko's smile faded and she turned away to lift her eyes to the moon once more. "Tomorrow is only a dream, not a set path. I can hope it is so."

Syaoran felt the dismissal and rose to his feet. He bowed to her, as properly as if he had stood in her sacred chamber once more. "I won't fail you, High Priestess."

"No, I don't believe you will. Now rest, Li Syaoran, that you be ready for tomorrow."

The boy was halfway back to his room when she finally dropped her gaze from the sky to look after him. He could not hear her blessing, but she spoke it anyway.

"May your days have more light in them than I have foreseen. And may your heart stay true in Sakura's keeping, and hers in you. Oh, please be safe and protect my family. Remember, Li Syaoran. Remember everything I have told you."

Then Nadeshiko climbed carefully back inside. She passed through the dimly lit hallways as noiseless and still as any ghost, sensing that Touya, too, was of a similar mind. They met outside the grand library, exchanging only solemn expressions before they entered.

Fujitaka was bent over a large pile of books, working furiously, his face haggard with worry and exhaustion. An untouched tray of bread and a pot of tea sat to one side, next to a narrow couch where Sakura was curled up, fast asleep beneath her father's cloak.

Touya moved to his father's side while Nadeshiko stepped close enough to Sakura to touch a hand to her tiny head. She whispered, "Do your best, my dearest Sakura, and know that I love you and believe in you."

"Nadeshiko," Fujitaka finally looked up with a clear attempt to keep his anguish from his expression and voice. "I have searched everywhere, but I have found nothing."

"I know," she said, gliding to him and taking one of his trembling hands in her own. "I did not expect that you would. Some things in this world are inevitable, my love."

Beside them both, Touya's hand clenched into a fist and he would have brought it down upon the table with all his strength but for his sleeping sister who would surely wake. "It's not right!" he said in a fierce undertone.

"No, Touya, it isn't," Nadeshiko's eyes were wet again at her son's pain. "But you must have faith."

"Have faith in what?" he returned. "I can't see what difference this will all make! It seems that it would be easier to fight and fail than…"

It was Fujitaka who put out his other hand to grip his son's shoulder. "We must not think that way. Your Mother is counting on us. If you give up now, all will be lost."

Touya's rage subsided slightly. "I just...I would do anything to change places, to let it be me that…" He closed his teeth rather than admit the words aloud.

"I know," Fujitaka squeezed his shoulder. "So would I."

Nadeshiko moved and Fujitaka shifted so that the three formed a small triangle. Without releasing her husband, Nadeshiko reached into her robes and drew out a small item. "I entrust this to you now, my son. At the very instant the world breaks, you will know what to do with it."

Touya accepted the Key of Clow with both hands, looking at the little thing with sorrow. "If I could release the Seal, I could save us all."

"Yes, but you cannot," his mother said. "As you know better than I."

Touya nodded. Yes, he did. Even at fifteen years old, Touya knew that he was not the true heir and inheritor of Clow Reed, even if he did possess enough power to force the Seal to weaken. His heart was not pure enough for such responsibility.

Still, he tucked the Key into a pocket and felt the warmth of its power settle there – not belongingly, but willingly. Nadeshiko leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek with a whisper of magic and warmth and true motherly love.

Fujitaka smiled at Touya and it was rather watery. "Take Sakura to bed, please. She should rest properly even if none of us will do the same."

The three moved to Sakura's little couch together, Fujitaka folding up his cloak and Touya lifting her in his strong arms. At the motion, Sakura's eyes blinked open.

"...Ne?" she asked with a sleepy smile.

Nadeshiko cupped her little round face and pressed their foreheads together for an instant. "It's all right, Sakura. I'm sure everything will be all right. I love you, Sakura."

"...Love you too, Mother." Sakura yawned. "Love you, Father."

Fujitaka brushed a kiss over her forehead as his wife stepped back. "See you in the morning, Sakura."

"Mmmm." She snuggled down into Touya's arms and he curled her as close to him as he could.

"Good night," Touya said, looking at his parents as though he could never look quite enough. Then he set off down the hallway with his precious burden tight to his chest.

"Big...Brother?" Sakura's soft voice reached him just as he pushed open the door to her room.

"Yes?"

"Why...are you crying?" But her eyes were not open and there was no sorrow in her words, so deeply asleep was she.

"Never mind," Touya told her, tucking her into bed and pulling up every blanket he could find as if he could protect her with them. "Just sleep, Sakura."

"Okay. I love you...Big Brother."

Touya's hand lingered on Sakura's head. "I love you, too. Don't worry. I'll protect you."

But the promise felt like ash in his mouth when he turned away and closed the door. For it was entirely possible he had just told Sakura the first and most terrible lie in his life.

-==OOO==-

The attack came at midday.

Because everyone had seemed thoroughly troubled all morning, Sakura had decided to surprise her friends and family with a bouquet of flowers from the garden, so she was all alone outside gathering them into her arms when dark clouds began to roll in across what had been a bright blue sky with alarming speed. Sakura paused in the process of pulling long-stemmed pink flowers into a large bunch and looked upward, a shiver running through her.

"What is it?" She tipped her head to one side, feeling her heart begin to race. The flowers forgotten, Sakura got to her feet and found her legs carrying her without direction. She could not seem to look away from the dark clouds. The flowers she had already gathered fell and scattered around her.

"Birds?"

Leading the clouds were two snow-white birds, tiny songbirds that should have been invisible against the massive clouds, and yet they were almost luminous against the encroaching darkness. Sakura's hands rose without her bidding them as if she could reach the birds and touch them.

The thunder rumbled a name. " _Clow_."

"Sakura!"

Sakura thought perhaps she imagined a familiar voice calling her name because surely if she heard someone calling her would turn, wouldn't she? But she kept reaching skyward. The birds were dropping closer and closer to her now, and the clouds swirled after, angrily echoing the name again and again. " _Clow. Clow. Clow. ClowClowClowClowClow_ …"

If she could just touch those birds…

And then a weight hit Sakura from the side, shattering her strange trance with surprising violence. She felt arms wrap tight around her and her body was cradled as she was carried in a diving slide down a grassy embankment and to the side. Only when they stopped moving did Sakura realize her feet were wet – she had begun stepping into the fountain without even being aware of it.

Syaoran did not release his grip on Sakura when they came to a halt, his heart thudding in his chest in near panic. He had almost been too late! Syaoran didn't know what exactly would have happened if Sakura had touched those birds, but he knew in his very soul that he could not let it happen. Only High Priestess Nadeshiko's cry of Sakura's name had broken his own paralysis when he had sensed evil's approach and allowed him to speed into the garden to pull Sakura to safety in time.

Sakura blinked at the boy wrapped protectively around her. "...Syaoran?"

"Stay down," Syaoran ordered, lifting his own head enough to be able to see what was happening.

At the edge of the fountain's basin near where Sakura had been so lost in trance, Kinomoto Nadeshiko stood with her head thrown back and her long hair wild around her. Her words were lost in the endless rumble of the clouds, but Syaoran could sense the magic she wove in desperation.

Sakura's scattered flowers blew and vanished into the clouds that swept down from the sky to surround the garden.

"Sakura!" Touya's voice rang out and he sprinted across the garden straight to where Syaoran had thrown the pair of them for cover.

"Big Brother! What's happening?" Sakura did not fight Syaoran's grip, but rather closed her hands on his arms and held on.

Touya reached them and slid down the slope to crouch beside them. He spared Syaoran a glance so quick the latter could not read it at all. Then he fixed his eyes on his sister.

"Stay down here and keep out of sight. We'll protect you." Then he held a hand out. "Kid. Give me your sword pendant."

Syaoran leaned back, pulling Sakura with him, and sneered. But before he could refuse, he remembered his conversation with the High Priestess only the night before. Frowning darkly and without letting Sakura slip from his arms, he produced the pendant and passed it to the older boy.

Touya held it in his hands for an instant and the pendant glowed a slightly silvery color. Then he handed it back and stared into Syaoran's eyes with greater force than the storm above. "Don't let go."

And Syaoran knew he also meant Sakura, so he nodded.

"Big Brother?" Sakura's eyes were wide and frightened.

"Here." Touya reached forward and hung a cord around Sakura's neck. Clow's Key settled against her heart. "It will help you. Keep it secret for me, monster."

He could see Sakura's thousand questions and fears, and not a few in the kid's eyes either, but he was out of time. He spared an instant to ruffle Sakura's hair before he sprang from the grass, heading towards his mother.

Syaoran and Sakura could not help but crawl slightly up the grass to where they could see better. They might have gone more quickly if Syaoran had taken his arms from her, but he did not and they climbed together as one.

At the instant they reached the crest of the hill, a bolt of lightning struck the fountain just where Sakura had been only moments before. In the wake of the frizzling light, a form emerged.

"Where is Clow Reed?" The voice was imperious and furious and filled with power.

"Clow Reed is dead," Nadeshiko said, arms out stretched. "He died long ago."

"Impossible! He must be here! His magic is here!"

"That is all that is left of him," Nadeshiko answered.

The figure appeared to contort itself briefly before it straightened once more. "Then if that is all there is, I will take it for myself!"

Nadeshiko's voice was oddly serene. "You will never find what you desire if you do this."

"What I desire is for you to _perish_!"

A lance of black-tinged lightning flashed, piercing Nadeshiko as easily as if she were made of paper.

Sakura and Syaoran both screamed, their cries lost in the roar of pain and denial from Touya who was just close enough to catch his mother in his arms as she fell. With only a few moments left of life, she smiled at her son.

"Be brave, Touya. Have faith."

Fighting tears, Touya managed to whisper, "I will, I promise, Mother."

High Priestess Nadeshiko turned her gaze back to the evil that had slain her. "With my last power, I protect those dearest to me. And I bind you such that when the time comes, you will not succeed."

"You do not have the power to bind me, priestess," the rolling cloudform replied.

"We shall see." Nadeshiko's eyes slid closed. "I am sure that…"

And she said no more.

Sakura buried her face in Syaoran's chest and began to sob, and even Syaoran could not look at the body of the High Priestess, instead pressing his cheek to Sakura's head and closing his eyes tightly.

But while the humans grieved, another force had awoken with rage.

" _You_! You will _pay_ for harming the people of Clow!" Keroberos, fully transformed into his true self, led an airborne charge, fire erupting from his very wingtips. Beside him, Yue had never seemed so cold and deadly, and the Six Keepers soared behind the pair, their powers raining from them.

"You smell of Clow Reed. You will bow to me or be destroyed!"

" _Never_!" Keroberos shouted. Then he roared a fireball that seared the very treetops nearby. But the figure in the fountain merely rose into the air to catch it, extinguishing it amidst a fold of cloud and dark water.

The Six Keepers did not remain in the sky with the Guardians, instead diving to battle the evil being with grasping claws and bared fangs. But each of the Six was stopped against an impenetrable wall of magic.

"You are disappointingly weak. Has Clow's great magic truly failed so much?"

"How _dare_ you insult Clow Reed!" Yue's voice was raw and a bolt of pure moonlight screamed through the sky against his enemy.

But it, too, was absorbed.

"You are nothing to me," the voice was slowly becoming more human and less thunderous, and it had taken on a female tone. "I will have Clow Reed's power. Surrender it to me!"

Touya, who had been bent over his mother's body to protect it from the battle, looked up. "Never!"

"Insolent creature!" Another bolt of lightning echoed the furious shriek, Touya its goal.

But before it could strike him down, Yue managed to intercept it, though he screamed with pain as it tore through him. Yue was flung by the force of the impact into a nearby tree from which he did not emerge.

"Yue!" Keroberos bellowed the name of his companion Guardian and counterpart with rage and grief. Then he turned back to the coalescing form which was increasingly solid. "Attack!"

And he dove at his enemy recklessly, the Six Keepers flanking him.

"I tire of this! You do not have the power to defeat me!" More lightning flashed, but rather than striking the seven remaining defenders, it imprisoned them. "If you will not bow, you will be drained and discarded like the useless things you are!"

Keroberos and the Six Keepers howled with sudden pain as their traps closed around them, ripping magic from them brutally and unforgivingly. The seven dwindled in size until they were all but invisible in the raging black lightning.

"Now be gone!"

And a wind rose and scattered what remained of them far away into the dark sky.

A moment later, the figure became solid, stepping from the air to the ground across from Touya and the body of Nadeshiko as a remote, cold-eyed woman who would have been beautiful if there had been anything of her that was not malicious. The robes of an Empress flowed around her.

"This land and all its powers are mine now," she said. "I am your Queen Madoushi, and you will serve and love me."

Touya could see Syaoran and Sakura out of the corner of his eye, their faces pale and wide-eyed but neither had lost their senses from terror; in a moment, either might call out or otherwise make themselves known. The weight of his duty was heavy in his heart, almost as heavy as the weight of his mother's body in his arms.

Touya looked to Madoushi. "Not a chance. You'll never take Clow from the people who love him."

"Oh, tiny mortal. You may have some power of your own, but you know nothing of true magic."

Shadows began to spill from beneath Madoushi's robes.

"I cast a curse upon this kingdom. Let none remember the name of Clow, nor any powers that were his, for they are now _mine_. Let none remember any who have seen me here. You will be a stranger to every man and woman of the kingdom. Let all believe it is I who have been Queen for a thousand years and shall be for a thousand more. And _you_ ," her eyes turned upon Touya, "you will bow your mind to me and give over your powers."

The shadows trailed across the garden and Syaoran could feel Sakura shiver at their approach; their touch was deathlike. But they passed the pair by, and only then did Syaoran realize his pendant and the Key were glowing softly, sparing them Madoushi's curse.

As the shadows vanished to travel the length of the land, Touya shook his head as though waking from a deep sleep. But he still looked steadily to Madoushi and held himself with pride. "I will not bend to your will."

"Impossible!"

Madoushi lashed out with a lance of power that struck wildly throughout the garden, felling trees and uprooting bushes. Syaoran had only enough time to pull Sakura's head down into the cradle of his arms and turn his back before the two of them were blasted from their hiding spot into a now-ruined flowerbed halfway across the garden.

They landed limply, Sakura falling away from Syaoran a bit, for the sheer amount of power had stunned them both. Syaoran dropped unconscious when he hit the earth, but Sakura remained awake long enough to spot a touch of silver under a tree nearby and to wrap her small fingers around Syaoran's nearer hand before she, too, succumbed.

Touya saw, but Madoushi did not, and he dared not alert her to the presence of the pair of children. So he shouted at her again. "I will _not_ bow to you!"

"Your magic is strong," Madoushi might have sounded approving had she not sneered so angrily. "Very well. Then as Queen, I decree that any person found within my kingdom possessed of magic who refuses to surrender it to me shall be imprisoned in the castle's dungeon until they submit."

"I will _never_ submit."

"Then you will rot in the dungeon for as long as you live, for I _will_ have that power! Guards!"

Palace guards charged from the castle when they had been strangely absent before. Their tunics and the ribbons on their weapons no longer bore the Sun and Moon Crest of Clow Reed, but instead a crown interwoven amidst streams of water. They formed up before Madoushi and bowed low.

"Take this wretch to the dungeons!" she ordered, pointing at Touya.

Touya looked into the eyes of a dozen guards, every one of whom he knew by name, many of whom had taught him the arts of combat. But their eyes held no recognition for him now. Fire lit in his chest, but Touya remembered himself and instead carefully set his mother's body on the ground before rising and stepping towards the guards – he could not bear to let them trample his mother. The guards gripped his arms painfully tightly.

"What about this one?" shouted one guard on the edge of the formation.

Madoushi primly picked her way across the garden, trailing upon one of Nadeshiko's sleeves as she did so, to find the body of a young man with white-grey hair unconscious beneath a tree.

"He has the smell of magic as well," she said. "You know the law."

"Yes, Queen Madoushi!" The nearest guards gathered up the still form of Yukito and dragged him beside where Touya was led away.

"I believe I shall inspect my holdings," Madoushi told the remaining guards. "Attend me."

"At once, Queen Madoushi!"

And she strode away, deliberately leaving the body of the former High Priestess unburied and unconsecrated. She cared nothing for the woman's spirit, and there was none left in the kingdom who would recall the woman at all save the boy she would lock away until his stubbornness gave way.

She never saw the final figure at the edge of the garden, hidden all along, slip in after her to move to the three still forms, two of which were still holding onto one another.

-==OOO==-

Sakura woke from vague nightmares into a far worse reality. "Mother!" She sat up with a sob.

Suddenly arms were around her. "Nadeshiko is gone. I'm so sorry, Sakura," Fujitaka said softly. "Please let yourself cry now. Your...your Mother would not wish you to try to hold back your emotions."

Sakura's head fell onto her father's shoulder and she lost herself for a time in tears and feelings that hardly seemed to belong to her at all. She had always been so happy and cheerful, and such grief was a stranger. She cried and cried in her father's embrace until she could cry no more.

Only then did she blink burning eyes and take in her surroundings. It was not a room she recognized.

"Where are we?"

"These are the servants' quarters," came Syaoran's voice. Sakura turned and realized he had been in the room all along, standing with his his sword out and his back against the rough wooden door.

"Thank you for protecting us," Fujitaka said to him as he unfolded himself from his daughter. "But I believe the worst is over for now. If Sakura is awake and none have noticed, we are as safe as we may ever be."

"Father...Syaoran...what happened?"

Fujitaka settled himself on a low bench where he could see both children.

"Three days ago, an ancient enemy of Clow Reed named Madoushi came to the kingdom to claim his power for her own. Nadeshiko did all that she could to protect us, but this...she assured me there was nothing I could do to save her." His eyes were wet beneath his smudged spectacles. "Other than to stand as witness, and to care for you, and to see that her body was respected. The...queen Madoushi did not make the last of those easy for me, especially without you or Touya."

Sakura's heart found a new kind of pain, the pain of realizing that her mother had already been burned and buried. And her father had done it alone, had bid farewell to his wife, his one true love, in secret and without any support.

Sakura crawled off the narrow bed and wrapped her arms around her father again. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there."

"It was necessary for you to rest and recover," he said, though his breath was heavy and his words seemed less sure. "You are both too young to face the amount of evil power which nearly killed you. If not for Touya, it...could have been far worse."

Sakura drew back. "Father, where is Touya? Is he…?"

"Touya and Yukito are alive, imprisoned here in the castle. Queen Madoushi intends to keep them confined until they surrender whatever power they have to her."

Sakura's eyes went wide. "Yukito! But then Yu-"

Her father raised a hand to stop her before she finished the name. "She does not know. And you must never let her know what Yukito is. It is the only reason he is alive. But he, like Touya, is too weak to survive another battle."

"Why is Big Brother so weak?"

"The queen cast a spell to force everyone in the kingdom to forget about Clow Reed completely and anything associated with him, including his magic. She also cursed everyone to forget anyone who had been present for her battle in the gardens with your Mother and Touya. Touya's magic protected him from her curse, but both of you as well as myself might have been susceptible. Therefore, Touya is channeling some of his power to keeping our memories intact."

Syaoran spoke. "He is also hiding us from her."

"Yes," Fujitaka nodded. "For as long as your brother's magic is his own, he will be using his gifts to shield the two of you. The queen Madoushi has a sense for magic, and if she finds that you have been concealing your own, she will demand the same from you." Then his eyes fell more seriously upon Sakura. "Do you know what your brother gave you?"

Sakura had forgotten it until that instant, but she remembered at once and drew the Key from where it had been hidden beneath her dress. "The Key of Clow!"

"That and Li Syaoran's pendant will protect and hide you, but of anything you do, you must never let anyone other than myself, one another, and Touya and Yukito see the Key. It is our last source of hope."

"Because only someone who can break the Seal will be powerful enough to defeat her," Syaoran concluded.

"Yes."

"Then why give it to me?" Sakura wondered.

"Because it was your mother's last wish," Fujitaka said gently. "She believed the Key would be safest with you."

"So what do we do now?" Syaoran asked, moving away from the door and concealing his sword once more.

"For now, we can only wait. The two of you are not strong enough to stand against Madoushi, nor do you yet have the ability to shield yourselves. If there were anyone I could trust, I would take you both far away from here, but I cannot leave Touya and Yukito defenseless and without friends in the castle."

"Write to my family," Syaoran suggested. "They may be able to send someone."

But Fujitaka turned to him with sorrow. "Touya believes that Madoushi's spell has spread to your family as well. That they will not remember they ever had a son they sent here. I am sorry."

"Oh, Syaoran," Sakura's own heart constricted at the surprise in the boy's face. He had been so brave when she had been scared, and now he had lost everything – at least Sakura still had her father and brother. Sakura reached out and took Syaoran's hand in hers. "Don't worry. We'll be your family for now."

Fujitaka put a hand on the boy's shoulder, recalling all Nadeshiko had told him in secret. "Sakura's right. You are not alone, Syaoran, if you will have us in your own family's stead."

Syaoran took a deep breath and nodded. But he squeezed Sakura's hand tightly and said nothing, not quite trusting his voice yet after that painful surprise.

"The good news is that even though everyone has forgotten us, they are not surprised that we are here – it may be because of Touya's magic or the Key or perhaps even Nadeshiko's will. I have taken a post as a castle scribe so that I will remain close to the queen and can observe her actions. I will also be able to ensure the safety of our people as best I can. The two of you, I am afraid, will have a much harder time of it. You can only be servants now, and you will have to work very diligently so as not to draw attention to yourselves."

"We can do that, Father," Sakura said, trying to feel sure. "We're not afraid to be servants, are we?"

Syaoran shook his head. No, he was not afraid of that. As long as he could keep his promise and stay at Sakura's side he was afraid of very little.

"Good. That will also ensure you can look after Touya, because they won't think twice about someone of your age bringing food to prisoners. But I was only granted one audience under the pretense of taking notes. I...likely will not see him again for some time," Fujitaka's shoulders dipped ever so slightly.

Sakura couldn't stand the helplessness of everything else, so she made a decision in that instant to do her very, very best to keep her father and Touya and Yukito and Syaoran as happy as possible. She couldn't do anything else, but she could do that much.

So she managed a smile and said, "Don't worry. I'll take care of both of them and I can pass messages, too."

Fujitaka brightened at Sakura's earnest, surprisingly fragile smile. "We'll all do our best, then."

"Until when?" Syaoran asked.

"I'm not entirely sure," Fujitaka admitted. "But Nadeshiko had faith that an answer would come to us in time. Perhaps your magic will grow and you will be able to shield yourselves so Touya can apply his to helping himself. Perhaps the heir of Clow will appear and, as long as we have protected the Key, will be able to defeat Madoushi. Perhaps something none of us can imagine will happen. But we must work hard so we are ready when it does."

Syaoran understood and nodded. He would do whatever it took to become strong enough to protect Sakura as he had promised and to be ready to fight against Madoushi if he got the chance. And, as he looked into the green eyes that were at once so filled with pain and yet such determined hope, Syaoran vowed to keep Sakura's heart pure, because to see despair claim that smile would surely end Syaoran's life more quickly than any blade.

Unbeknownst to him, Sakura had silently vowed something rather similar – that she would be brave the only way she knew how in order to keep the people she had remaining from giving up. It was, she was sure, what her mother would have done.

And Fujitaka looked at both children with pride for their courage, but also great fear. For the years ahead would not be kind, and he could only do so much. He had no magic and no influence now, only his intelligence and his love.

Fujitaka prayed that between the three of them, that love would be enough to save them.


	3. Chapter 3

You know, the thing about the rags-to-riches fairytales is that the heroes must have the 'rags' part of the story first. And no matter how much we love them, we can't spare Sakura and Syaoran their turn.

Enjoy!

* * *

The first month of Queen Madoushi's reign seemed like an unending trial for Kinomoto Sakura. Every time she turned around, something she had thought was familiar had grown strange. The transition from being an honored member of the castle household to amongst the lowest of servants was sudden, and it was often troubling.

Of course, most of the possessions that had belonged to the Kinomoto family had been removed shortly after Madoushi's arrival, but Fujitaka had cleverly managed to rescue a precious few for each of his children and himself: a beloved book, a hair clip given from mother to daughter, an heirloom crest of the Kinomoto family, a hand-woven blanket birthday gift, and a few special talismans. He had also taken the plainest of his own and Sakura's clothing to disguise them amidst the serving class, and he and Sakura both worked to reduce the finer garments to those appropriate to their new station.

Fujitaka had also, by some miracle, managed to rescue a few items belonging to Syaoran as well, and the wide bafflement in the boy's eyes was all the thanks he could ever have wanted for his daring. Syaoran had arrived in the Kingdom of Clow with so little, Fujitaka could not ask him to proceed with nothing of his own heritage. So Syaoran was able to keep and hide his ceremonial robes from his family, a letter from his mother, a pair of books in his own written language, and the hanging Sakura had made for his birthday.

All of these Syaoran kept hidden in the small wooden room Fujitaka and Sakura began to share in the servants' quarters beneath the kitchen. It had been an empty room awaiting new servants, so it was a simple exercise in saying nothing that allowed them to claim it as though they had always had its use. However, Syaoran was clearly not related to the pair, and Fujitaka was not enough of a dissembler to concoct a plausible reason for the boy to belong to him. So Syaoran had been assigned quarters with the other boy pages and errand-runners and such. Their low, communal room was beneath the stairs that led to up to the kitchen, which meant Syaoran was never far from the Kinomotos. But because he could not trust even one of his new roommates, he kept everything he valued in the tiny private room under Sakura's bed.

And when, in that first week, he woke from sleep in a cold sweat, nightmares of failure and loss and death tearing at his mind, he crept to that room and slept on the floor with his back to the door and Sakura and Fujitaka understood and welcomed him without saying a word.

Each day they rose with the other servants just before dawn to begin their chores. Fujitaka, as a scribe, was tasked with record-keeping and accounting and documentation, and he would spend his entire day from sunrise to twilight in a cramped room off the back of the library, writing and translating and drafting and calculating until his fingers were cramped from use and stained with ink.

Syaoran's duties varied depending on the day and the temper of the pagemaster and housekeeper. Sometimes he was employed as a messenger, sent out into the kingdom with proclamations or to collect information, and then he might be gone well into the night and return exhausted from running at his best speed for miles throughout the countryside. Sometimes he found himself assigned to annoying and menial tasks like polishing all the weapons and armor of every member of the castle's guard, and he would be punished if he missed even a single smudge. He also carted firewood all over the castle – all but to the queen's own chambers, where she warmed herself magically.

Syaoran was regularly irritated with his tasks, but he did find value in them. The running and carrying would make him much, much stronger in body as well as in discipline, and regular exposure to the weaponry gave him snatches of opportunities to practice with them. He might have preferred to have been named one of the 'special' pages who was trusted above the others with complicated missions or even secret messages, but then he was sure he would come to the attention of the queen much more quickly. So Syaoran kept his eyes to the floor and barely spoke a word to the other boys or the staff, and while he always did an acceptable job, he never gave them reason to single him out.

It was different for Sakura.

The castle had always hosted a fair number of under-maids and such servants to handle the vast amount of work required for such a large household, but the sudden appearance of Madoushi left the serving class in great disarray. The queen had very demanding, elaborate specifications for everything from clothing to banquets, and her orders fell hardest on the young women at the very bottom of the castle's social hierarchy. And, of course, because no one remembered that Madoushi was newly-arrived to the castle, the people assumed that things had run smoothly before and now it was the servants doing less work, rather than the workload itself having more than doubled.

Therefore, as Sakura was the newest maid in the castle, and clearly was not familiar with what should have been her routine duties, she was often given the worst tasks and left to blame for work undone.

They had been servants in the castle for less than two weeks when Sakura returned to the room she shared with her father long after he had finished the day's work and retreated with a simple supper. Syaoran, too, had collected his meal and brought it to the room rather than eat with the other boys. But Sakura had been so late, neither had touched their food for worry.

Sakura pushed open the door slowly, her voice low. "I'm here."

At the mark on her left cheek, Fujitaka shot to his feet, but he was not faster than Syaoran who crossed the room in a blur. He slammed the door shut behind Sakura and stared at the bruise with enough fire in his heart to burn the entire castle to the ground.

Under Syaoran's scrutiny, Sakura flushed with embarrassment. She raised a hand to hide the mark and looked away. "It's nothing," she said, and made some attempt at lightness.

But Syaoran caught her hand and pulled it down, drawing her into the room until she stood between him and Fujitaka. It was only then he realized Sakura was without supper, obviously an additional punishment.

Fujitaka brushed his fingers over her hair. "Please tell me what happened."

Sakura's chin shook very slightly. "I was...assigned to mend one of the tablecloths. But...I guess my stitching wasn't neat enough. They...they made me stay until I fixed it."

Sakura closed her eyes and took several deep, trembling breaths. Over her head, Fujitaka and Syaoran exchanged glances. Syaoran was furious, at much at his own inability to have done anything to prevent the hurt to Sakura's heart as for the actual blow struck to her body.

Fujitaka was angry, too, but his anger had an additional source. When Fujitaka had been Steward over the kingdom, no one ever raised a hand to a servant, especially a child. Everyone in the castle had been cared for, none worked beyond their abilities. Of course if someone was not suited to their duties, they would be released to find work elsewhere, but never, never was violence a means of maintaining standards.

Not only had the people forgotten Clow, but they had been spelled to Madoushi's way of thinking. Now the kingdom lived with the memory of a thousand years beneath a ruler who condoned harshness and cruelty, and here were the marks such authority left on its most helpless.

With a determined shake, Sakura lifted her head and blinked her eyes, managing a more genuine smile, though it was still brittle. "I'll do better next time. It was my fault to start with."

But Fujitaka wrapped his arms around his daughter. "No matter the mistakes you make, no one should ever hurt you. I'm so sorry, Sakura. I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault either, Father," Sakura said. "Don't be sorry that we're here."

Syaoran wordlessly split his portion of supper in half and pushed one half towards her. Fujitaka released her and added a piece of bread of his own with a nod to Syaoran, and by mutual, unspoken agreement, they began their meal and spoke on more cheerful subjects.

But that night, after Sakura had fallen asleep, Syaoran crept back into the Kinomotos' room to find Fujitaka awake, staring at his daughter by the light of one single candle.

"How can I do this to either of you?" he whispered to the boy. "How can I ask you to live like this, all for the sake of a hope we don't even know will ever come true?"

Syaoran drew himself up. "Give us seven years, please. By then, her magic and my own should have grown strong enough to escape and survive by ourselves if that's the best we can do. At the end of seven years, I will take her away from here and you can do whatever you have to in order to rescue your son and Yukito."

Syaoran supposed he might have offered it the other way around, that he would use his strength to save the imprisoned pair and Fujitaka could take Sakura and run, but that would mean Syaoran leaving Sakura's side and he could not promise that. No matter what.

Fujitaka nodded. "Very well. But if it becomes too much...if she gets hurt…"

"Then we'll go sooner," Syaoran said, and he felt the conviction like a burst of heat in his chest.

Fujitaka looked at Syaoran for a long moment. "I'm asking so much more of you than I should. You're as much a child as she is."

"No, I'm not. I was raised to be the heir to the Li Clan."

"I suppose that's true. You would never have been a child in your own home." Fujitaka sighed. "Thank you for your strength. I think we all will need it. I agree to your plan. Seven years, unless Sakura is at risk before then. I won't abandon Touya, but I cannot let her spirit be broken here, either."

In the low light, neither of them saw Sakura flinch from what she had overheard.

-==OOO==-

By the end of the first month as part of the servant class, Sakura managed to settle into her new life. Though still clumsy at times, she had proved willing to work hard even through her mistakes and she comported herself respectfully. Her sewing did not improve markedly, but one of the cooks decided she liked Sakura's cheerful prattle and so assigned her regular duties in the kitchen, from cleaning platters and pans to cutting vegetables and watching pots at the fire. She might still be called upon to scrub floors or even run a few errands of her own, but mostly Sakura found herself filling the role of a kitchen helper and scullery maid more and more often.

This was a great relief to both Fujitaka who knew the cooking staff well and thought them to be a bit more fair-minded than some of the maids, and to Syaoran, who was often in or about the kitchen area with his own duties and therefore he could be closer to her.

The other advantage of working in the kitchens was that it spared Sakura from another form of heartbreak.

For, just as Madoushi had declared, none remembered the Kinomoto family. Including Daidoji Tomoyo, once Sakura's cousin and closest friend.

Their first meeting after the curse occurred in the gardens at dusk; Sakura had been ordered to gather some lavender that grew between the kitchen gardens and the formal castle gardens. It happened that Syaoran was outside not far away, cording wood to be carried inside, so he could watch their interaction.

Sakura spied Tomoyo from across the lavender and had called out excitedly, "Tomoyo! Good evening!"

The dark-haired girl turned, her head tipping delicately at the familiar use of her name. "Good evening. Can I help you?"

Sakura waved. "Tomoyo! Are you doing well? I haven't seen you since…" Suddenly the light in her smile died.

Syaoran abandoned his task and started towards her.

Tomoyo was a gentle girl of sincere spirit and good manners, so she did not even frown at the strange person speaking to her so casually. "Excuse me, but I don't believe I recall your name."

Sakura's face had gone pale. "It's...Sakura."

"That's a lovely name," Tomoyo said politely. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I have met you before."

Syaoran reached Sakura's side and his presence steadied her. Sakura shook her head and smiled a little too brightly. "No, I'm sorry for speaking out of turn. I...I had a dear friend by that name once, and you reminded me of her. That's all."

Tomoyo's head dipped a little in understanding. "I assume you must miss her greatly to make such a mistake."

Sakura nodded. "I do. I didn't realize how much until right now."

Tomoyo smiled. "I hope you have fond memories of her to keep you company until you can see her again."

Sakura's smile lost some of its false brightness. "I do. Thank you. I'm sorry I interrupted you." Then she turned to Syaoran. "Do you...do you need help with the wood?"

Syaoran understood that Sakura needed an escape, and needed something to distract her or her feelings would bubble to the surface. So he nodded. "Yes. Thanks."

Sakura joined Syaoran in the stacks of firewood, wordlessly cording bundles and rubbing at her eyes. Syaoran found a scrap of cloth in a pocket and handed it to her.

"I'm sorry," was all he said.

"Thank you." She wiped at her eyes and managed to catch the few tears she could not hold inside. But that simple comfort of a friend who understood her pain helped her breathe and hold back any others that might have threatened to fall.

An hour later, Sakura was scolded for her lateness returning with the lavender, but her feelings were under control and Syaoran's makeshift handkerchief was still tucked in her pocket, a source of refuge and courage she held onto for many days afterwards.

-==OOO==-

As difficult as the adjustment proved to be for Sakura, however, it was vastly more unhappy for her brother Touya.

The dungeons in the castle had been built in the kingdom's infancy when Clow Reed was still teaching his people his meaning of peace, and while they were entirely inescapable, they had not been meant to be torturous in nature. The rooms were large and appointed with proper furniture, not mere benches for beds. They even had small water pumps in them to ensure those imprisoned would not be without water any time they chose. True, the rooms had only the smallest grate high on the wall in order to see the sky above, and they were isolated from one another such that prisoners in any cell were unable to communicate with those in another cell, but they were stocked with blankets and good lanterns.

However, the cells were also magically locked and warded. Rather than barred doors or caged openings, the entire front of each cell was an almost unbroken pane of what looked like glass. This glass was ornamented with regular swirls of metallic threads and tiny golden beads. But the delicate nature of the enclosure belied its powerful enchantments. The cells had been designed by Clow himself to contain magic within, and to physically imprison anyone who entered them.

They had not been used within the Kingdom of Clow for a century, but one was used now.

When Yukito first awoke, dizzy and disoriented, he blinked at the face above him. "T...Touya?"

"Easy," Touya said, resting a hand on Yukito's chest. "You took a bad hit."

 _Not me_ , Yukito thought. _Yue_.

But deep in his mind, Yue was nearly absent, so spent and exhausted were his powers. Yukito did not need Yue to tell him that it would be unwise to call attention to his presence; memories of the battle against Madoushi filtered into Yukito's mind, enough for him to understand. Yue was alive, but badly drained of power. He would not have the strength to resist Madoushi now as Keroberos and the Six Keepers had. Should Madoushi realize that Yukito was actually concealing Yue within, they would both be lost.

So Yukito merely nodded to silently tell Touya he understood the ruse they would have to employ. "Are you all right?" he asked.

Touya grimaced. "I'm not hurt."

Yukito remembered the body of High Priestess Nadeshiko. "I'm so sorry, Touya."

The boy looked away. "It's not your fault. It's been a week. I've...gotten used to it."

Yukito doubted that, but he opted not to say as much. Instead, he looked around and blinked. "Why are we together?"

One half of Touya's mouth turned up slightly. "The guards threw you in here when you were unconscious. I broke loose and went after you. They decided it would be too much trouble to bring down the barrier and have to put another one up, and that...person told them the wards would hold against the two of us so they left me here with you."

Yukito frowned. Even if he himself had no gift for magic, he knew through Yue that Touya was possessed of remarkable magical powers. The barriers in the cells had been losing strength just like all of Clow's other magic. Touya should have been well able to defeat the barrier in his current state – unless something else was wrong.

Touya read the frown and shrugged. "That curse she cast took a lot out of me."

"It shouldn't have," Yukito said before he could stop himself.

Touya quirked an eyebrow at him. "Better me than...someone else."

"Oh." Now Yukito understood his meaning: Touya was using most of his strength to protect Sakura and his father, and possibly Li Syaoran as well. To do so against Madoushi's curse, and to mask their magical signatures, and to do it all from within Clow's own cell – yes, that would take a great deal out of even Touya. "I see."

"Good." Touya stepped back from the bed. "You'd better get up. We'll be having a visit soon."

"We will?" Yukito found his glasses on a shelf beside the bed and drew them on. "Who will be visiting? Is it Sakura?" He wanted to see for himself if the cheerful child was safe and unharmed.

Touya shook his head. "No. An entirely different kind of monster."

Yukito had only just pulled himself to his feet and straightened his clothing when the intimidating figure of Madoushi appeared in the corridor beyond the warding.

"Confinement suits you," she said in her cold voice.

Touya stepped close to the ward and looked up into her eyes without fear, but said nothing. Yukito fell in beside him and peered at the being who had commanded such power and who had done such terrible things to the land he had sworn to protect.

"I see you are awake," she said, her gaze sliding from Touya to Yukito. "Will you tell me your name?"

Touya stiffened ever so slightly, and Yukito understood his warning. So he remained silent and simply stared at Madoushi.

"Very well." Her lips curled with distaste. "So be it. However, I have come to ask a question and I _will_ be answered this time. Will either of you surrender what powers you have to me?"

Touya's jaw unclenched only barely enough to say, "No."

Beside him, Yukito lifted his chin and also answered, "No."

Madoushi scowled. "Vile, repugnant disobedience! Then rot here for another week. When I return, I expect you to have a different answer for me!"

And she swept away, robes swirling behind her.

When she had vanished down the corridor, Touya's shoulders fell slightly and he let out a breath. Yukito guessed that it took extra effort for Touya to hide his magic – and his continuing use of it – from her when she was so near to him. And yet somehow he managed it.

In all his years of life, for Yukito was nearly as old as Yue himself and had lived among the household of the castle for decades as Yue's power faded, Yukito had not known another with such power since Clow Reed himself.

"Why do you do this?" he asked.

"Because I won't give in to the wrong thing," Touya said.

"I wasn't referring to submitting to Madoushi."

"Neither was I."

Yukito didn't know how to respond to that, so he simply nodded. "Tell me what I missed."

So Touya moved farther into the room to perch on one of the chairs and told Yukito how Kinomoto Fujitaka had managed to sneak into the dungeon just once, long enough to speak quickly with his son. How Touya had hinted to his father what he was doing with his magic, and Fujitaka had confirmed that Sakura and the Key were safe. How their visit had been cut short when Fujitaka had been caught by the guards and was forbidden to return or risk being thrown in a cell himself. How none came into the dungeon now but a serving girl with a tray of food, half of which Touya had been saving for Yukito, waiting until he woke.

When Yukito heard that much, he found himself to be ravenous with hunger, which was familiar when Yue was tired – one of Yukito's functions was to eat large quantities of food to sustain Yue in times when the moon was lean or his magic was frail. Touya produced the saved food, much of it hard and cold after many days, but Yukito ate every crumb anyway, adding a silent prayer that it might give Yue some of his strength.

When he was finished, Yukito was appalled to realize he was growing sleepy. He rubbed his eyes behind his glasses and sighed. "I think...I should rest a bit more."

Touya nodded. "I know. Don't worry about it." He pointed to the wide bed. "Sleep as much as you need to. There's not a lot else to do down here. I could use a nap, too."

Yukito peered at the boy. Touya was only fifteen years old. And yet he was able to maintain his magical protection in spite of the cell while asleep. Or perhaps such effort left him as tired as attempting to sustain Yue left Yukito.

There was something about Kinomoto Touya that had always confounded Yue, and that same something had always intrigued Yukito. Touya had long possessed enough magic to break the Seal on the Key, and yet he had consistently refused to do so. But Touya – and High Priestess Nadeshiko, for that matter – had always been so sure that Touya was following the correct path by refraining from utilizing his strength in that way. Yue had found it infuriating to be so close to one who could have restored him; instead, Yukito was profoundly curious.

But he rose from the table without asking. This was simply more proof of the boy's powers, and it would bear thinking about after he was rested. Considering the length of time the pair of them were likely to be trapped together down here, perhaps this was a mystery Yukito would be able to unravel if he showed patience.

"Would you like me to sleep on that bench?" Yukito asked. After all, though human in thought and body, he was not in fact human and felt he should defer to the boy who was far younger than him and who had already done him a good turn by collecting food for him.

Touya rolled his eyes. "It's big enough for two and I don't care. You need to sleep as much as I do, or one or both of us will disappear. I can put up with it if you can."

Yukito nodded. But still, settling in beside the boy was...strange. For as much as Yukito had tended to spend time with Kinomoto Touya from a young age – because Yue had wanted to watch him – something was different now.

 _Yue has never been so quiet within me before_ , Yukito thought. _I could almost be a regular human now, with human thoughts. Just...more years of life._

As he pulled a thick blanket up over himself, noting that Touya did not sleep beneath any covering and wondering if that were a personal preference or something to do with keeping a part of himself awake through the discomfort of the cell's cold to sustain his magic, Yukito was struck by an odd thought.

 _If Yue continues to remain so quiet, will I become more human after all?_

But he fell into a dreamless sleep before he could even begin to speculate.

Their time in the cell together began to take on certain patterns. Madoushi returned approximately once a week to again demand that the pair give their magic to her, and no matter how many times she came or how angrily she spoke, neither of them said a word aloud to her, not even their names, other than the word, "No." This they said to her each and every time without fail.

Yukito slept more than he ever had before in his long, inhuman life, but Touya slept very little. Many times Yukito would wake to find the boy lying still on the bed with his eyes open, staring unblinkingly at the ceiling. However, the lack of sleep did not seem to trouble him – in fact, the first time Touya slept for many hours deeply, he woke in a near panic. Yukito understood that Touya's magic was strong enough to keep him well on very little rest, but he could not bear to falter in his protection for even an instant. After that, Yukito did not trouble the boy about his lack of sleep.

After three months, the errand girl who had carried meals to them twice a day was replaced by Sakura.

"Big Brother!" A blur raced down the corridor to them.

Touya was on his feet and as close to the spelled glass as he could get without actually touching it in an instant. "Sakura. Are you all right?" he asked and there was a sharp, tight note in his voice.

Yukito joined Touya just as Sakura came to a halt before them and dropped the tray she had been carrying with a loud clatter. He took in her shabby clothing and her reddened hands, clearly growing hard from work. There was a dark smudge of something on her forehead and the mark of a burn on one of her forearms, but there was light in her eyes.

"I'm okay. Are you okay, Big Brother?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?" Sakura's green eyes were huge.

"Yes."

"Really, really sure?"

Touya bent so that his dark eyes could meet hers evenly. "I'm all right, Sakura."

Sakura sniffed slightly as tears gathered. "I'm so glad. I was worried."

Touya did not speak, but Yukito knew the boy well enough to see that he was still worried, though he did not ask.

Sakura suddenly realized Touya wasn't alone. "Yukito! Are you okay?"

Yukito knelt so he was also closer to her height. "Yes. We are taking care of one another here. What about your Father? And Li Syaoran?"

Sakura wiped the tears from her eyes with a sleeve. "They're doing well. I mean, none of us are happy, but we're okay. We're not hurt." She looked back up to Touya. "Because of you."

Touya nodded. Then he peered at her more intently. "You're keeping it safe and with you at all times?"

Sakura's hands closed over her chest. "Yes. Syaoran keeps his, too. I wanted to thank you, Big Brother. For protecting him, not just me."

Touya scowled, but he refrained from saying anything about the boy. "Just make sure you don't lose it, little monster."

"I won't!" And that indignant, furious pout made Yukito laugh. He rose, catching Touya's eye as he did so – yes, obviously even now Touya was utilizing his special gift for annoying his little sister to cheer her up, even if she never realized it.

"Did you bring us something?" Touya asked before Sakura could get any more worked up.

"Oh! Yes! It's your supper, but, uh...Father thought you might need something. He says it should be able to pass through the magical barrier." Sakura lifted the tray again. "It's all he could find for now, but he promises to send more later."

Yukito saw the simple game of cards and dice on the tray beside the basket of bread – much fuller than usual, too – and smiled. "Please thank your Father. I will be glad of some way to pass the time."

"That's what he thought, too," Sakura smiled at him. "So...how do I...?"

Touya held out his hands. "Just push the tray through. As long as there's no magic in it, you shouldn't feel anything from your side."

Sakura nodded and did as told, surprised and pleased when the tray passed through the barrier as though it were not there at all. But before her own fingers could reach the magic, Touya pulled the tray out of her grip.

"Be careful not to touch it," Yukito advised. "You may become trapped like us."

Touya glanced at him with a warning look, but shrugged. "Thank you for the food."

"You're welcome."

Then he glared at her. "But don't give us your own portion again, Sakura."

Sakura flushed and looked away. "I...I get to eat a bit in the kitchen when I'm working, and father always shares with me and so does Syaoran, and when I saw how little was on your tray I was worried because I know how much Yukito always used to eat and you need your strength too and…"

"And you need yours," Touya said firmly.

But Yukito smiled at her. "Thank you for thinking of us. But your brother will worry if you give up your food for us. He will be happier if he knows you are eating well. Especially because you are working so hard."

Sakura looked at her feet but nodded. "I understand." Then she suddenly shook herself and looked up with a bright smile. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. If I am late, they won't let me be the one to do this again. But I will try my best to be the one to visit you every day."

"If it's you trying," Yukito found himself telling her, "then I'm sure you will succeed."

Touya handed the tray to Yukito and crouched low to look into Sakura's face. "Don't do anything reckless, and don't let that kid get you into trouble."

Sakura nodded. "I'll be careful. Thank you. And I love you, Big Brother."

Touya nodded. "Get going. And eat your food this time, Sakura."

"I will. See you tomorrow!" And she sped off down the corridor.

But as they sat down to eat, Yukito looked across to Touya. "There's something you're not telling her. And you're not telling me, either."

"You're right." Touya bit into a roll – one Yukito was certain had been added by Sakura.

"Will you tell me someday?"

"Someday, maybe." And that was clearly the end of the discussion, as Touya rather adeptly pretended to be aloof and unconcerned with Yukito's curiosity.

Well, Yukito had lived a long, long life waiting for Clow's heir. He could wait a bit longer for Touya's secret.

-==OOO==-

Time passed for those whose lives had been irrevocably changed, and soon months became years. What had been strange became commonplace.

Fujitaka managed the castle's accounts and records, and his quiet reliability led him to be able to work almost without oversight from anyone. He was also soon a familiar sight throughout the vast library, locating information or checking historical documents. As scrutiny of his actions slowly faded, Fujitaka took his chances and began researching certain things on his own when none were around, particularly the writings of Clow Reed himself, to seek a means of either defeating Madoushi or of freeing his son. And while he uncovered a great many secrets, he did not find his answers.

However, Fujitaka also devised a method of communicating with Touya through Sakura's daily visits without the girl's knowledge. Each week, he would send Touya a new pack of cards or a small book – nothing that would arouse suspicion – but tucked within would be a note containing a question and the code to an answer. When Sakura returned each day thereafter, Touya would mention a specific card, or a page in the book, and this would be his answer to his father. When Sakura would report her conversation with Touya, Fujitaka would gain the information he sought.

As their codes developed over the years, the pair learned to speak almost an entirely different language with Sakura as their unwitting translator. Touya was as unable to find an adequate solution to their situation as his father, and that worried them both. Surely something, the hope Nadeshiko had carried to her end, should have come to pass by now. But neither Fujitaka's research nor Touya's own magic and gift of foresight proved able to discern a way out of their predicament.

The pair could have conversed through Sakura without the code but for the fact that neither of them wished to worry her with their doubts. The code had begun as a means to ensure their communications were not intercepted or monitored, but as years passed, it became yet another way Touya and his father protected Sakura from the world in which they were trapped. For neither could have lived if her cheerful smile had died.

But it did not. Sakura's own determination to help her family by remaining cheerful held her up, and even when she felt she was breaking on the inside, she made herself stay happy and upbeat for the sake of those who watched her so closely. It was easiest with her father and Touya, for while both were keenly observant, she saw them only twice a day, morning and night, and her father, at least, was usually exhausted and his eyes were weary from the many documents and low light of his room.

In the winter after Sakura had turned ten years old, however, her composure broke during a particularly cold day when she had been sent into the village below the castle to procure some spices. Sakura's dresses were paper-thin, her cloak scarcely better, and there were holes in her shoes. On her returning trip, she had fallen into a drift of muddy, icy snow, and her bravery had crumpled. Sakura had buried her head in the snow and wept as though she would never stop.

But after only a few minutes, she felt a touch on her shoulder and lifted her eyes to see Syaoran's face torn with worry above her.

Sakura did not explain; there was nothing to explain. But she allowed Syaoran to draw her into his arms and hold her against his chest while she sobbed. And his comfort and warmth and shelter, none of which had anything to do with the weather, soothed her aching heart. Syaoran produced in his pocket another makeshift handkerchief, and when her tears had washed away her hopelessness, she tucked it into her dress beside the first which she had never relinquished.

"If you are sad, you don't have to cry alone," Syaoran said softly as he held her tightly. "I understand why you don't want your Father or brother to see. But you...you shouldn't hide it from me."

Sakura nodded against him. Then she looked up, her green eyes watery and the light in them lost as though deep within a turbulent pond. "You don't have to hide it from me, either, Syaoran. If you need to cry, I'll do anything to help if I can."

Syaoran smiled a little at her. "As long as you do not cry alone, then I have nothing to cry about. All I need is for you to be cheerful, and when you can't be cheerful, for you to come to me. You can...you can always trust me."

A new warmth and gratitude bloomed in Sakura's heart and she smiled back at him, a real smile, not the false cheerful one she had practiced so often. "I do trust you. Thank you."

That was also the day, as they walked back to the castle again, that Syaoran revealed to Sakura something he had been keeping very, very secret.

"I've been slowly trying to practice my magic again," he said.

Sakura gasped. "But she'll sense you!"

Syaoran shook his head. "That's why the first thing I've been practicing is my own shielding and warding. It's not very strong yet, but it's enough for me to make these."

He held out several strips of a dark yellow papery cloth inscribed with symbols in his own language.

"What are they?" Sakura asked. She remembered seeing them when Syaoran practiced his magic before Madoushi, but had never asked about them.

"Elemental ofuda. They make it easier for me to invoke the elements without draining my own magic. I've been making them ever since I figured out how much energy I need in order to shield so she can't feel them being created."

Syaoran didn't admit that he had nearly been caught more than once by the white birds that were Madoushi's heralds and spies throughout the kingdom. Only his quickness and Touya's power had kept the tiny spark of magic from being traced to him. Syaoran had had to work carefully to ensure that he did not drain Kinomoto Touya's strength too much while testing his own abilities, and after much, much practice, he had learned to dovetail his protections with Touya's almost seamlessly.

"What will you do with them?" Sakura wanted to know.

"Nothing for now," Syaoran said. "But I'll make as many as I can any time I'm away from the castle. Then, when the time comes, I'll be ready."

He had been training with his sword as well, sometimes even late at night if he could not sleep; he would creep into the Kinomoto's tiny room and run his body through the drills that had once been second-nature, holding a broom when he could not summon his sword itself. Sakura never seemed to wake, but Syaoran knew Fujitaka was aware of his nocturnal practice.

"Just be careful, please," Sakura begged. "If she found out and locked you away…"

"She won't," Syaoran told her, meaning it with all his heart. "I won't let her take me where I can't protect you. I promise."

"I wish I could help," Sakura said then, turning away. "If I had enough magic to shield, maybe together we could be strong enough and Big Brother could…"

Syaoran shook his head. "Worrying about it won't help. True magic only comes when your heart and your energy can flow freely. I know...I know your Mother believed in you. Don't give up yet."

This seemed to reassure her, but Syaoran was concerned. He knew Sakura carried at least some magic within, and he also remembered the secret he had sworn to keep for the High Priestess. His own magic was growing steadily as he aged, and his estimation of seven years to Fujitaka was seeming to be an overestimation rather than the opposite.

But from what Syaoran could sense, Sakura's magic had not grown at all. In fact, it was even harder to perceive now than it had been years prior. And what that meant, he couldn't begin to fathom.

However, his words had cheered her up, and Sakura felt her own will to endure return. By the time they reached the castle, Syaoran's ofuda carefully returned to his place against his chest along with his sword pendant and another of his makeshift handkerchiefs in Sakura's own pocket, Sakura was feeling light and hopeful once more.

It eased Syaoran's own heart to see it. And he vowed anew to learn and develop his magic as quickly as was possible safely so that he could save Sakura from this life as soon as he was strong enough to do so without risking the rest of the family. As long as Syaoran was careful and patient, he was sure he would be able to gain the power needed before Madoushi ever suspected him of it.

No one could have guessed how wrong he was.


	4. Chapter 4

Well, here we go!

Enjoy!

* * *

Two weeks before Sakura's thirteenth birthday, Touya woke from one of his light midday naps with an inarticulate cry.

Yukito, who had been quietly reading across the cell, bolted to his side. "Touya!"

Touya's body was covered with sweat and his eyes were almost comically wide. He turned to Yukito with an almost feral expression. "Yuki...we're too late!"

"Too late for what?" Yukito asked.

"The queen!" Touya leaped from the bed and rushed to the glass that bound them within the cell. For the first time in almost five years, he touched the glass. But it was not a delicate touch – Touya pounded on it.

Yukito rose to follow him, Yue stirring within as he had not for the last two years. "What about her?"

But Touya did not answer Yukito. Instead, he pounded on the glass again; furious that the power held unless he withdrew his own from those it had protected so long. Protected maybe in vain.

"Sakura!"

-==OOO==-

"Sakura."

Sakura looked up from where she had been washing vegetables in a tub of cold water. She had stopped flinching at the head housekeeper a few years before, but that did not prevent the trickle of cold apprehension she felt at the woman's appearance in the lower kitchen. This was not a woman Sakura remembered from the old days – this was someone Queen Madoushi had hired to 'maintain discipline,' and she reveled in that assignment.

Sakura straightened up properly. "Yes, ma'am?"

"The Queen has asked to see you." The housekeeper's voice was icy.

Behind Sakura, the young cook who had taken Sakura under her wing rose from her own duties and faced the ranking servant. "Her Majesty asked for Sakura?"

"Yes. She was quite specific. Sakura is to attend her in her private rooms at once."

Sakura's heart began to pound. "I...understand, ma'am."

"I will escort you there myself." As the servant waited, Sakura quickly dried her hands on her apron and pulled it off, pausing just long enough to hang it on its hook by the fire. But the young cook grabbed her arm as she went by.

"I'll tell the boy," she whispered, grateful that it was the noon hour and therefore all but themselves were eating their own meal; there were no other servants to overhear or gossip.

Sakura's shakes eased a bit with relief. Everyone knew Syaoran was Sakura's friend and sometimes protector. And Syaoran would trust the cook's words. If there were real danger, Sakura knew he would come for her.

"Don't dawdle! Impudent girl!" The housekeeper huffed.

Sakura sped to her side obediently, keeping her head down and hoping to avoid a blow. The young cook winced in sympathy. Even after so long, Sakura was still a favorite target for the worst jobs sometimes, and few seemed to dislike her as much as the housekeeper. The cook had never understood it – how could anyone dislike sunny, helpful, kind Sakura?

The very instant the pair of them were out of the kitchen, the cook dashed outside. She knew that Syaoran never ate with the other boys, preferring to be outdoors alone. Most days as soon as Sakura finished her own tasks the cook sent her to join him for lunch so the pair could get away from the other servants for a time.

Indeed, the boy sat with his back against the sun-warmed wall of the kitchen garden, a piece of bread in his hands but more at his side where she knew he was saving it for Sakura who was fed last and therefore usually least.

She had barely crossed the distance between them when Syaoran was on his feet. "What's happened?"

The cook took a deep breath and hoped she would not be dismissed for this impudence. "The housekeeper came with orders from the Queen. Her Majesty has called Sakura to her private chambers."

Syaoran's face went pale for an instant, then dark with a determined scowl. "I understand." He strode forward, actually catching the cook by the arm and half-dragging her back to the kitchen.

His amber-brown eyes held the cook with a force she could scarcely believe from this boy who spoke to no one and seemed to care for nothing other than standing near to Sakura. "Can you do one other task for her? One other thing that will help her?"

"I...ye-yes, I suppose," the cook answered.

"Go and tell her father what you have told me. That will be enough." And he abruptly dropped her arm and turned away towards the servants' stairs that would carry him up into the castle.

The cook called breathlessly after him, "Is Sakura going to be okay?" She could not imagine what the girl could have done to warrant such a summons, but her heart trembled for Sakura.

"Yes," Syaoran's voice floated down to her. "I will protect her no matter what."

-==OOO==-

Sakura's nervousness made her clumsy, so by the time she and the housekeeper reached the grand doors to the Queen's own chambers, the housekeeper was hauling her painfully by an arm. But the woman never slowed nor seemed to care for the tightness of her grip.

"My Queen," the housekeeper rapped smartly on the door. "I have the child as you wished."

"Very good," came the musical, imperious voice. "Send her in and leave us."

The housekeeper pulled the door open slightly. "Be respectful to the Queen or you will be sorry," she whispered to Sakura before shoving her forward and shutting the door behind her.

Sakura was frightened and startled, but she managed to keep from losing her balance or crying out at the shove. She stumbled into the room before righting herself, clasping her hands together tightly to keep them from shaking.

Sakura had only been in this part of the castle once or twice, and never when Madoushi was present. The rooms had once been used for something quite different, though Sakura no longer remembered what. They were big, lofty chambers with rich hangings and carpets and fine furniture everywhere. In fact, the rooms were so colorful and so beautifully appointed, it took Sakura several moments of blinking before she spotted Madoushi lounging in a low, heavy seat beside the window.

Sakura quickly made a deep bow. "Excuse me, your Majesty." She kept her head down and focused on maintaining her control over her voice. "You asked to see me?"

"Yes, I did."

Sakura did not dare look up, but she fancied she could sense the queen rising and drawing near to her. She held still and listened to her heart pounding in her ears.

"Did you know that one of my many gifts is that of fortune-telling?" Madoushi asked.

Sakura swallowed against a dry throat before answering, "Yes, your Majesty."

"And did you know that of late there has been something very disturbing in my visions?"

"No, your Majesty."

"Can you guess what it is?"

"I can't, your Majesty."

Cold, smooth fingers tipped with sharp nails caught Sakura's chin and forced her head up unexpectedly. Sakura could not stop the tiny, surprised noise of pain Madoushi drew from her when she held Sakura's chin in a grip that bruised and lifted it so high Sakura could barely keep her balance on her toes.

"It is a vision of magic. Forbidden, illegal magic. Not like that stubborn boy who rots in my dungeon, but far more dangerous. Now, tell me, child. What do you know of such magic?"

Sakura thought of Syaoran and her heart stuttered with fear. "No-nothing, your Majesty! Magic is forbidden!"

"Of _course_ it is forbidden, you little pretender!" Madoushi leaned close to Sakura's face. "You are _lying_ to me, and I won't have it! I have seen your very face in my visions this day and I _demand_ an explanation! Now, tell me what you know of this magic here in the castle!"

The angle of Sakura's chin in Madoushi's hand was truly starting to hurt her neck and she was losing her balance, making every part of her hurt even more. "Please...I don't…"

"You _dare_?"

Abruptly, Madoushi flung Sakura aside, hard enough for her to crash into a table and tip it over on top of herself. Sakura got to her hands and knees and crawled out from beneath it.

"You _dare_ defy _me_? I, who am your _Queen_?"

Sakura didn't have an answer, so she didn't make one, instead looking down at the carpet and thinking painfully of her mother.

"If you will defy me, you will regret it!" Madoushi raised her arms and shadows poured from beneath her robes. The shadows crawled across the floor towards Sakura's helpless body. "You _will_ tell me what I wish to know!"

Sakura could only watch as the shadows lunged at her – and were stopped.

" _What is this_?" Madoushi's voice became a screech.

For the shadows could draw close to Sakura, but they could not reach her. She was shielded by a thin, golden light that hung like a nimbus around her.

Sakura could feel the Key against her heart grow warm. As the shadows continued to pound against the magic that protected her, the Key itself began to float.

" _You_! You have concealed magic from me in my own castle!"

Sakura climbed to her feet, her spirits buoyed by the warmth and security of the magic around her. The Key emerged from beneath Sakura's dress and hovered before her, as if _it_ were protecting _her_ and not the other way around.

Madoushi's eyes burned with a strange, eerie light as her rage surpassed even her corporeal form. "That is _Clow's_ magic! It feels of him! How did you come by it?"

Sakura closed her hands on the Key and drew it to her chest. She could not and would not answer that question, and she was too afraid to do anything else.

Against the relentless efforts of Madoushi's shadows, the glow around Sakura began to wane.

"I will kill you and take Clow's magic from you and as you die you will tell me what I want to know!" Madoushi shrieked, her hair flying wildly as a wind began to pick up in the room.

But that wind was not only Madoushi's.

" _Fuuka Shourai_!"

The doors to the room exploded open before a torrent of wind. Syaoran, sword extended, charged forward, using the blast of wind to fling Madoushi to one side while he raced to Sakura.

"Syaoran!" she cried, not moving from the protective light that held her.

Syaoran planted himself between her and Madoushi. "Are you hurt?" he called over his shoulder without ever taking his eyes off the queen.

"No, I'm okay."

Madoushi collected herself and gestured with a hand; what remained of Syaoran's cyclone was flung out a window into the sky. "Pitiful elemental tricks," she faced him. "You dare to think you can protect this girl from _me_?"

"I _will_ protect her," Syaoran said. He drew a new ofuda and brandished his blade. " _Raitei Shourai_!"

The cyclone Syaoran had summoned had been powerful, but his truest elemental affiliation had always been lightning.

As a thunderbolt crashed from his blade into Madoushi with the force of a mountain falling into the sea, Syaoran turned away from his enemy and faced Sakura.

"Do you trust me?"

Sakura never doubted her answer. "Yes, always."

Syaoran gave her a sharp nod and reached forward. The light that had held back Madoushi's shadows parted for Syaoran and he pulled Sakura against his chest and held her tightly with one arm, shifting his grip on his sword in his other hand.

"Hold on." He had another ofuda ready and flung it at the floor before their feet. " _Suiryuu Shourai_!"

A fountain of water sprang from the ofuda and lifted them into the air. It gushed out the broken window and bore them to the ground below, cradling their fall.

But above, Madoushi had begun to laugh.

-==OOO==-

Kinomoto Fujitaka had never run so fast in his life. But for all he tore through the castle as though pursued by wolves, no one, not a guard, servant, or one of the many nobles who lounged around Madoushi hoping for favor seemed to notice him. In fact, he reached the guarded door to the dungeon and found the soldier on duty pointedly looking straight at him, but not so much as flinching as he raced by.

Fujitaka knew the help came from Touya, which signified that his urgent news would not be a surprise to his powerful son. That was even more frightening – if Touya had bent his power to serve his father, it meant he no longer needed to use it to conceal the other two.

"Touya!" he cried as he sped down the corridor between cells. "It's Sakura!"

"I know," Touya called back even before Fujitaka had reached him. "I know."

Fujitaka brought himself to a halt outside the prison that had contained his son and Yukito together for so long. Touya had both fists against the glass and leaned his forehead on it, too, his head downcast.

"The queen knows that Sakura has magic," Touya said, and his voice was ragged. "But Sakura and that kid aren't strong enough to fight her yet!"

"And what about you, my son?" Fujitaka asked. "Can you stand against her?"

Touya raised his head only to shake it. "No. I might be able to slow her down, but that's all."

"What's going to happen to Sakura, then?" Yukito asked from where he hovered at Touya's side.

"If we can't think of a way to help her, Madoushi will kill her before that kid can get her out of range." With agonized sorrow, "And I'm not enough to make a difference."

Fujitaka drew himself up. "There must be a way. Nadeshiko put her trust in us. Between one of us, we must find an answer." He looked to Yukito. "Does Yue have any suggestions?"

Yukito raised his eyebrows in surprise that he should mention Yue's name so casually, but then, perhaps it no longer mattered. Touya, however, lit up with a new energy.

"Yue! That's it!"

Touya spun and gripped Yukito by the shoulders. "Yue and that kid together might have the power to fight Madoushi long enough for us to escape. That kid's got Clow's blood somewhere in him and he's gotten stronger in the last few years. It might be enough!"

"But Yue is powerless!" Yukito felt his own other half rising in his mind. "He barely has the strength left to survive as it is!"

"Then I'll give him mine."

"Touya!" Fujitaka reached to touch the glass. "You can't!"

"Yes, I can," Touya said, never looking away from Yukito's eyes. "Yue can use all of my power as long as he promises to help Sakura with it."

Yukito opened his mouth to refuse, but in his mind Yue was growing brighter and brighter. And Yue could see what Yukito could not – that Touya's strength really was great enough to sustain the Guardian's true form, at least for some time. Yue also knew that he could take Touya's power without harming the boy, that he would lean on it as he had the moon in the time of Clow Reed. Yue's strength had always come by reflecting the strength of another.

Kinomoto Touya was not Yue's master, but Yue could borrow his magic for now.

Touya leaned closer to Yukito. "Tell Yue I'll give him everything if he promises to help protect Sakura and fight Madoushi. Then he can return to his true form and finally be of some use."

Yukito felt the scowl from Yue at that, but far more powerful was his ringing agreement. He met Touya's eyes with a steadiness he did not feel. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure! Just make certain Yue swears to help Sakura and keep himself from getting killed or it will all be for nothing!"

Yukito and Yue were both surprised at that, but Yue gave his acceptance and Yukito nodded. "We agree."

Touya pulled Yukito completely into his arms and closed his eyes. His magic, which had grown only deeper and stronger in the years of his confinement, began to spin out of him like steam from a boiling pot. Because he no longer needed to conceal Sakura and Syaoran from Madoushi, nor lend a certain forgettable invisibility to them and his father, the sheer amount of power at his command surprised even Touya.

Even so, it was not enough for him to claim himself to be Clow Reed's inheritor, and that was almost a comfort as much as it was also a torment. For so long, he had believed he had done the right thing by allowing himself to be locked away and the Kingdom of Clow to suffer. If he had learned now, after so much pain, that he should have broken the Seal on the Key long ago, the guilt may have destroyed the very heart of his power.

But Touya's heart was strong and so was his conviction. And so his magic wrapped around Yukito and fed him and that which lived on the other side of Yukito's mind.

A golden circle appeared below Yukito's feet as Touya's magic left him. He stumbled backwards to lean on the glass of his prison – glass that no longer felt as though it hummed. Touya's heart clenched at a new absence; with no more magic, he could no longer tell if Sakura was safe.

Snow-white wings sprang from Yukito's back and the familiar eyes closed when the false form was wrapped in feathers that seemed to go on forever. When they parted, the tall, implacable gaze of Yue was as keen as it had ever been.

"Thank you," Yue said.

Touya nodded. "Now get us out of here so we can help Sakura!"

Yue's face twisted with a slightly predatory smile. "Gladly."

He raised a hand and Touya moved away from the glass. On the other side, Fujitaka also darted away. Light the color of a silvery full moon burned at Yue's fingertips.

"No power but Clow's will can bind me."

And the glass shattered.

"Hurry!" Fujitaka called, snagging Touya's arm and dragging his son when Touya stumbled slightly. He was not hurt by the transfer, but he was weakened and a little disoriented.

Yue's wings spread and he took to the air even in the low dungeon. "Follow me."

The three raced ahead, hoping they would not be too late.

-==OOO==-

Even as Syaoran and Sakura landed in the garden beneath Madoushi's window, a call of alarm was ringing throughout the castle, guards converging on the perceived threat to their Queen. Syaoran was still untangling himself and Sakura from the bush in which his waterspout had deposited them when the first guards arrived.

"I want those two brought to me!" Madoushi's voice thundered in the air.

Armored hands stretched from all directions to seize the pair. As Sakura was dragged from Syaoran, she cried out with fear.

That cry cut through Syaoran's mind and went straight to his heart.

"Let her go!"

Though several soldiers were trying to pin Syaoran to the bush, he managed to get a hand into his pocket to produce several more ofuda. These he flung at the guards as his magic rose up in him, and the ofuda attached themselves to the suits of armor surrounding him. At Syaoran's will, the ofuda began to glow, and the men inside the armor found themselves unable to move.

Syaoran tore out of the bush, his sword in his hand, to pursue those who had already pulled Sakura away.

Sakura was fighting in the grip of the soldier who was pinning her arms to her sides, but she was no match for his strength. Watching Syaoran battle and struggle filled her heart with fear and worry and a despairing sort of helplessness. She couldn't fight and she didn't have enough magic to help. Sakura's spirit ached at the unfairness of it, at the years of pain and worry her family and Syaoran had endured all to protect her, and there was nothing she could do to help them now. A tear slipped down her cheek.

Syaoran saw the tear but misunderstood its source; he felt a rage burn in him that went all the way back to that first bruise on Sakura's cheek. For years, he had not been able to spare her harm at the hands of the others in the castle because he dared not call attention to either of them. But he would not allow her to be hurt now.

Syaoran charged and slashed with his sword. The soldier holding Sakura caught the blow on his armored forearm, but the strike was so jarring and painful, he was forced to release his grip and stumble backwards. Sakura tumbled to the ground.

Syaoran's voice had never been so low and dangerous as he said through grit teeth, "Anything that touches her is forfeit. Place a hand on her again and you will lose it."

The very air hummed with his fury reflected in his magic.

Other soldiers were gathering, but at the storm of power clearly swirling around the enraged young man, they kept their distance.

"Fools and cowards!" Madoushi stepped into the air out her broken window and descended to the ground with easy steps. "If you are of no use to me, _be gone_!"

One of her robed arms lashed out and a wave of power broke over the garden. Syaoran, and Sakura in his wake, were spared, but the other guards fell where they had stood and did not rise.

Sakura climbed shakily to her feet behind Syaoran.

"I tire of this," Madoushi said, advancing on them. "You will both surrender your powers to me. And you will give me what you carry that once belonged to Clow Reed."

Sakura closed her hands around the Key and felt something warm inside her bloom. She looked up at the being who had killed her mother and terrorized her for years without fear for the very first time. "I made a promise to protect the Key from you. Even if I don't have the magic to fight you, I won't give up."

Syaoran's eyes never left Madoushi, but he turned his head enough to smile a bit at her and nod encouragingly. "I made a promise, too. Between the two of us, I'm sure we can do something about this."

His trust in her fragile courage made the warmth in Sakura's chest grow. She had spent so long so keenly aware of everything she could _not_ do, such as use great magic as her mother had, or find a way to escape as her father had tried, or protect the people she loved as Touya had, or grow so much in strength like Syaoran. It was a wonder to believe for the first time that, perhaps, there was more she could do than repay all those kindnesses with a smile.

But their defiance only further provoked Madoushi. "All you can do is submit!"

Suddenly, the torrent of water that had dispersed into the garden after Syaoran had summoned it reformed, joining with that from the fountain nearby. It rose at Madoushi's whim, swirling through the air and circling menacingly. Syaoran stepped a bit closer to Sakura and tightened his grip on his sword.

"You dared to use my own element against me?" Madoushi sneered. "All water is under _my_ jurisdiction, _my_ control! Arrogant child!"

Madoushi gestured and the water swept down over Syaoran. It lifted into the air like a drop of rain frozen in time, but it swirled viciously and Syaoran tumbled helplessly within it.

Sakura had been flung out of danger at the last instant, though even she could not be sure if it was Syaoran or his magic or the Key itself that had saved her from joining him. She looked up to where Syaoran was visible inside the prison of water, his face turning color as he held his breath, his body spinning and flailing.

"Stop it! Leave him alone!" Sakura cried. She tried to race to the torrent holding Syaoran, but Madoushi drew it out of reach.

"Give me that which was Clow's or he dies!"

Sakura tightened her grasp on the Key. "I can't!"

The Key was still warm against her skin, almost hot now, and it seemed to be vibrating. Surprised, she opened her fingers and looked down to it. The Key hovered in the cradle of her hands, spinning lazily. The eyes of the swan that was the Key seemed to blink at her.

"The Key which hides the powers of the Dark."

The words which had sprung unbidden to Sakura surprised her as much as Madoushi.

"Clow," the Queen whispered. "That was Clow's own spell…"

Sakura stared at the merrily-glowing Key. "Please," she told it. "I don't have much magic, but please give me the strength to save Syaoran."

She looked up again and saw that his face had grown slack within the sphere of water. Sakura's own heart surged with fear and a tear rolled down her cheek and dripped onto the Key.

The Key went brilliant with light.

And the water that had gathered around Syaoran abruptly left him, swirling to catch Madoushi instead.

Sakura forgot about the Key hanging around her neck or the strange spell and ran for Syaoran. "Syaoran! Please wake up!"

As soon as Sakura's hands reached him, his cold skin grew warm. He sat up, coughing and gasping for air. Sakura caught him and held him upright while he tried to regain control of his breathing.

"You…" he managed after a few desperate gulps of air, "you reflected the magic back at her."

"Somehow," Sakura said. "I don't know how."

Syaoran looked into her eyes and smiled at what he saw there – at what he had always hoped he would find there, or that she would find in herself. "I knew you could do it."

Across from them, Madoushi shrieked lividly as her own water coiled around her. " _You_! I will _never_ forgive you for this! How _dare_ you?!"

"What do we do now?" Sakura asked.

Syaoran looked at her, really looked, and made a decision. "We're not ready to fight her yet. And she'll do anything to get that Key. We've got to protect it, no matter what."

"Right. So are we going to try to run away?"

Syaoran shook his head. He pulled a foot underneath him and pushed to his feet, Sakura rising with him. "Not us. Just you."

"Syaoran…" But Sakura couldn't think of anything to say after that when Syaoran's eyes met hers so frankly, so intently.

"Trust me."

"Yes, but…"

"Be safe. I will come for you, Sakura."

It was the first time Syaoran had ever spoken her name aloud to her. Sakura's heart gave a weird thump at the sound. It gave another at the look in his eyes when he said it, at something she understood but could not quite dare to name in the person who had been at her side for so long.

So caught up with these feelings was Sakura, she didn't notice Syaoran carefully tuck a handful of his ofuda beneath the ribbon around her waist; it was worn and tattered and spotted with stains, but it had been a gift from him a year before and had always made her feel safe, just as his handkerchiefs tucked in her pocket had.

Syaoran never looked away from Sakura's eyes even as he lifted his sword between them.

Sakura realized what he intended and she made to clutch his hands. "Syaoran, don't!"

He smiled at her with such warmth and trust and something else as he invoked the spell with all his heart lifting up his power as never before. " _Fuuka Shourai_."

The gust of wind drew Sakura into its arms and she felt herself torn from Syaoran.

"Syaoran!"

"I will come for you, Sakura," he repeated, still feeding the spell with his feelings.

"Syaoran!"

And the bespelled wind shot from the castle gardens out over the land as far as Syaoran's power could carry it, Sakura wrapped protectively in its embrace. Syaoran watched her vanish into the sky, his ears ringing with her last cry of his name. Only when she was beyond even his ability to sense, and hopefully therefore beyond Madoushi's ability to find her quickly, did he finally turn away.

Madoushi was just breaking out of the water reflected back at her, and she had not looked so incensed since her first battle in the castle gardens. "You! You will _suffer_!"

Syaoran drew his sword up defensively. Now that Sakura was safe, at least temporarily, he intended to fight Madoushi with all his power and concentration. He did not answer her, but he cast another ofuda into the air and slammed his sword into it, focusing his will on the power alight within him. " _Kashin Shourai_!"

Flames burst from Syaoran's blade and encircled Madoushi.

Without breaking his mind from his task, Syaoran reached into his pocket with the hand not locked around his jian's grip and removed an additional ofuda. He had never tried to control two different elements at the same time, but he was willing to try anything. He slipped the additional ofuda up to the blade that still cast flames forward.

" _Raitei Shourai_!"

A bolt of lightning roared forth, twining around the flames, and crashed into the firestorm engulfing Madoushi.

It was almost more than Syaoran could bear. He had used more magic in the last few minutes than the last several years combined and he could feel it like a void inside, an ache where even his feelings couldn't support his powers forever. His jian, too, seemed to waver in his hands as so much magic was focused through it

But Madoushi was struggling against the pair of elements as she had nothing he had ever seen used against her, so he continued.

At the edge of his awareness, Syaoran became cognizant of something new entering the field of battle, but it did not matter – he could not let himself be distracted or his magic would fail. It was only when a pair of hands fell on his shoulders from behind, holding him up, that he realized he was no longer alone in his fight.

"Keep going for just a few more moments," came the voice of Kinomoto Touya. "Don't give up."

Syaoran didn't have the energy to spare to respond, but he tightened his shoulders under the grip and continued to force his power to burn.

And then Yue was in the sky overhead. The Moon Guardian was illuminated against the afternoon sunlight by a pale, hard glow. He spread his hands and a dome the color of starlight formed over where Madoushi was just starting to repel Syaoran's own elemental powers.

"You caught us at our weakest," Yue said in a cold voice. "You cursed the people of Clow and sought to acquire his powers that you had not earned. I will not forgive you for your actions here."

"You!" Madoushi looked up at Yue. "You do not have the strength to defeat me!"

"No," Yue said, "but I can contain you for a time."

And then Fujitaka was pelting across the grass with something in his hands. "Here!" he cried, holding it up.

Yue turned to Syaoran. "You carry the blood of the Li Clan. Call upon it now to help me."

Syaoran nodded once, sharply. He tightened his grip on his jian and closed his eyes. Behind him, Touya held tightly to his shoulders, though if he were offering strength or simply holding the younger warrior up, Syaoran couldn't quite tell. But he sensed no magic from Touya now, and he did not need to guess where it had gone from Yue's sudden influx of power.

Yue dove for Madoushi, catching her at the center of a triangle between himself, Syaoran, and where Fujitaka stood. Fujitaka brandished the book he carried and opened it wide.

And Syaoran felt it drawing Madoushi inward, so he pushed with all his might.

"You cannot hold me!" she screamed, clawing against the combined powers that pulled her towards the tome.

"Not forever," Touya said behind Syaoran. "But for long enough."

Syaoran felt something inside himself giving way, but he reached for a reserve of strength that had been born when he had finally called Sakura by name where she could hear and forced out one last breath of everything he had. " _Raitei Shourai_!"

Yue shouted wordlessly.

And Madoushi was swept into the book in Fujitaka's hands, which he closed the instant she vanished.

Syaoran dropped to one knee. He meant to lean on his sword, but to his horror, it faded away before him. He would have landed with his face in the grass if not for the grip on his shoulders.

"You've used too much power," Touya said in an even, inflectionless voice.

Syaoran merely grunted.

Fujitaka was rushing to him, Yue floating beside him. "Are you all right?" He knelt beside the pair.

Syaoran managed to form a proper word with a tongue that felt too tired to move. "Yes."

"Where did you get that?" Yue asked, inclining his head at the book.

Fujitaka looked at it, too. "When you and Yue were focusing on dispelling the curse she cast on the courtyard to paralyze everyone, a strange messenger put it in my hands along with a note. They said it would serve as proof of the note's contents."

Touya did not appear to be listening. He gave Syaoran a slight shake. "Where is Sakura?"

"Away," Syaoran said, his eyes fighting to close and his body yearning for sleep. "I...sent her away. Across the land as far as I could. So she would be safe."

"You consider that wretched forest _safe_?" Touya's fingers dug into Syaoran's flesh.

Syaoran managed a baleful glare. "Better than here."

"Don't scold him, Touya," Fujitaka said. "He did the best he could, and he's right. Sakura would be in much more danger at the castle."

Touya and Syaoran continued to trade antagonistic looks, and Fujitaka sighed. The pair had not laid eyes upon one another for almost five years, and yet their interactions had not changed one bit. He wondered vaguely if either even knew why they felt as they did, but Fujitaka suspected Touya, at least, had realized it had nothing to do with them and everything to do with Sakura.

So he redirected things. "This book won't hold her for long." He held it out.

Touya and Syaoran both reached for it, elbowing one another, but Yue took it from Fujitaka before either could touch it. The Moon Guardian stood over all three of them, holding the book between his hands.

"This is powerful magic, very similar to Clow's," he said. "I feel a...connection."

Fujitaka glanced at his son for confirmation, then remembered Touya had no such ability with Yue borrowing his powers. Instead, he drew from a pocket the message that had come with it.

"The messenger wore colors of black and blue," he said. "It's strange...but I can't remember their face or anything about them now. Or even how they found me. I only remember being given the book and being told it would prove the truth of the message."

Touya and Syaoran both frowned at that with identical suspicion. But Yue only raised an eyebrow. "What is the message?"

Fujitaka opened the smooth paper and read:

"To Kinomoto Fujitaka, former Steward of the Kingdom of Clow, I offer this gift of friendship. It was left to me by Clow Reed. I would offer you more help as well, but you must journey to me first. For reasons that will be made clear when we speak, I cannot fully enter the Kingdom of Clow at this time. However, I will offer an alliance with the true protectors and caretakers of the Kingdom of Clow, yourself included, and I will use my knowledge to aid you in removing that which has caused you grief. I await you across the border to the north."

Fujitaka looked up with wonder in his eyes as he read the signature. "Hiiragizawa Eriol, Prince of the White Jade Throne!"

Syaoran drew in a breath of surprise. His own Li Clan family were minor nobles under the Imperial Dynasty of the lands that bordered the Kingdom of Clow to the north and west. The White Jade Throne and its holdings were a part of the Imperial Dynasty, but separate from it. As far as Syaoran had ever learned, no one knew how the Emperor determined the appointed royalty who would command it, and who would be formally recognized as a member of the Emperor's own lineage.

"What could Prince Hiiragizawa have to do with any of this?" Touya asked.

Fujitaka shook his head. "I don't know. The White Jade Throne is always held by a mysterious person about whom very little is known even to his own people. But I had heard a rumor that none could ascend to the Throne without being worthy of some kind of powerful magic. Perhaps that is true."

Yue closed his eyes. "In the time of Clow, he often visited the castle to the north, never taking Keroberos or myself with him. He considered that principality to be an ally, however, and trusted any aid or advice offered." He paused before he said, "When Keroberos and I were young, we wondered if they had once been Clow's family."

Fujitaka blinked. "That would explain some things. Regardless, they have helped us for now and Prince Hiiragizawa is willing to help more. I believe we must go to him as quickly as we can." He rose to his feet.

Touya and Syaoran both surged up after him, demanding in unison, "We have to find Sakura!" Even Yue did not bother to hide his amusement at the disgust that washed over both their faces as they resumed their glaring.

"You're correct. But there is more than Sakura's safety in question here." Fujitaka took a deep breath and drew his shoulders and head up, looking for the first time since the loss of Nadeshiko like the honorable Steward he had been. "Madoushi is contained for now, but she will find her way out before long. Up until today, she had mostly refrained from turning on the people."

He gestured to the still unmoving forms around them, the loyal guards struck down by her curse. "We cannot simply leave the people of the kingdom to suffer when she returns. Her wrath could end in many deaths."

Touya ground his teeth. His father wasn't wrong, but…

"The safety of the Kingdom of Clow is my first and only concern until I find a new master," Yue said. "If the Prince of the White Jade Throne can help us, I must go to him. But I do not wish to leave the people alone without help against her."

Fujitaka nodded. "Then go. And take Touya with you. I will remain." He turned to his son. "You can speak in my place. I am sure when you explain what has happened, the Prince will not be offended that I sent you instead, and I am needed more here by those who will be vulnerable."

Then he turned to Syaoran. "And I will trust you to find Sakura and protect her."

Touya's eyes went hard. "As soon as Madoushi breaks free, she'll hunt for Sakura unless she decides to take out her feelings on the nearer targets of the people still here. And you have no magic to protect you, Father."

Syaoran straightened his own shoulders and held out his pendant to Fujitaka. "Then keep this. It will help you."

Touya crossed his arms. "If you leave that with my Father, you will not be able to call your own sword. How will you protect Sakura then?"

Syaoran did not roll his eyes at Touya, but it was a near thing. "My sword is not inside the pendant – they were merely bound together by my blood and magic. I can summon the sword without the pendant. It is more difficult, but I can do it. It was almost time for me to separate them anyway and keep my sword within myself instead."

Fujitaka looked at him warily. "Are you certain?"

Syaoran nodded. "It's the only way any of us have to keep you safe here while you watch over the book and try to talk sense into the people who don't know any better thanks to that curse."

He didn't mention that the process by which he would have to summon his sword – already weakened from the battle – and bind it to himself rather than the pendant would be both painful and dangerous, to say nothing of exhausting. But he could not leave the man who had been like his own father for five years with nothing.

Fujitaka inclined his head. "Thank you, Syaoran."

Touya took Syaoran's arm and leaned over him, making use of his superior height to peer into Syaoran's eyes. "Listen to me, kid. You find Sakura and you protect her."

Syaoran didn't shake off the grip, but met Touya's hostility calmly. "I will. I always have."

"That's true," came a new voice.

Fujitaka, Syaoran, and Touya all turned to see Yukito standing where Yue had been, the book trapping Madoushi in his slim hands.

"I'm sorry for surprising you," Yukito said. "But we thought perhaps Yue's influence would incite Madoushi to fight harder against the book, and would also make us easier to track as we head north." He handed the book to Fujitaka before he faced Touya. "Leave the boy alone, Touya. Can't you see he means it?"

Touya squeezed Syaoran's arm painfully before releasing it. "Not now, Yuki."

"I'm afraid now is all the time we have," Fujitaka said. "You must be off to head north as quickly as you can. It may take you a week to reach Prince Hiiragizawa. We don't know how long the book will be able to withstand the power of Madoushi. And you," he turned to Syaoran, who stopped glowering at the side of Touya's head and faced Fujitaka squarely, "must hurry as well. The forest may be safer for Sakura than the castle, but it is not safe."

Syaoran nodded sharply. He did not bother to look at Touya, but bowed low to Fujitaka. "I'll find and protect her. I promise."

"I know you will. Now, let's go and collect anything you three might need," Fujitaka advised. "I think we still have some time before the rest of the castle sorts itself out after all this."

It took less than fifteen minutes to raid Fujitaka's room of everything that could be useful, from blankets to a spare cloak, and to sneak into the kitchen storehouse to fill packs with provisions. The household was in an increasingly chaotic uproar, the curse of Madoushi having not just felled the guards outside, but having rendered senseless almost everyone in the castle and surrounding it. As people began to revive, excluding the soldiers from outside who remained motionless, they seemed to have rather fragmented memories and recollections.

Fujitaka, never letting the book constraining Madoushi from his possession, found that his ability to calm and influence those at their most disoriented allowed his son, Yukito, and Syaoran to move quickly and evade many difficult questions.

Touya even crept into the castle's stables to steal a pair of horses, one jet black and one snow white, for himself and Yukito. He would have offered a proud brown gelding to Syaoran, but Syaoran shook his head.

"The woods are dense and hard to ride through. I'll go faster on my own."

"I seriously doubt that," Touya told him. "You're still liable to fall over after that fight. You're drained almost completely. You could collapse at any time."

That was true, but Syaoran shrugged. "I won't. Not when she's waiting for me."

Fujitaka met them behind the kitchen gardens where he handed a small parcel wrapped in smudged cloth to Touya and another to Yukito.

"They were to be Sakura's gifts for you," he said quietly. "She has been working on them for a long time. I believe she would want you to have them now.

Though they were in a great hurry, the pair took the time to unwrap the gifts. Yukito found a small doll that resembled himself, and he smiled thinking about how Sakura often worried if Yukito was lonely with only Touya for company; she clearly thought her brother's gruff manner was not enough to stave off loneliness, even if Yukito thought otherwise. He tucked it into a pocket.

Touya did not allow anyone to see what she had given him – a hanging of his own name carefully sewn with peach and cherry blossoms all around. But he folded it and placed it within his tattered shirt where it was close to his heart.

Then Fujitaka held out a third, slightly larger bundle. "Syaoran, this is for you. In a way, I suppose it is from both of us. Sakura worked hard for many nights on this, but it was necessary for me to help her acquire the materials without anyone knowing about it."

Syaoran felt his hands still at the green material peeking through the cloth. He accepted it reverently and let the wrapping fall away to reveal his ceremonial robes. But much larger.

"She used yours as a model and has been trying to recreate them in your size since you gave her that sash last summer. It is only the tunic for now, but it has the crest of the Li Clan. And that." Fujitaka gestured.

Syaoran had already seen it – Sakura's name written in tiny stitches beneath the crest that would lie upon his chest. He ran his fingers over it wonderingly.

"She stayed up nights to make this...for me?"

Fujitaka nodded and smiled. "She had hoped to complete the rest before your birthday. This was the hardest part. I'm sure she would feel better if she knew you had this part of yourself back again."

Syaoran could not speak, but he held the fabric in his hands and revelled at the sharpness in his throat and behind his eyes. Sakura had worked for almost a year...for him. In secret, forgoing sleep, risking punishment if she were found with such rich, expensive materials...for him.

Syaoran did not hear Fujitaka bid farewell to Touya and Yukito, nor the thundering of their horses' hooves as they set off along the northern road. His heart was pounding in his ears and the beat sounded Sakura's name with every pulse.

"Wait for me, Sakura. I will find you. I promise."


	5. Chapter 5

I would like to dedicate this chapter to Liz. You've reviewed every chapter so far, and I so, so appreciate you! I try to reply directly to all my reviewers through direct messaging, but you don't have a user here. So, Liz, thank you for your enthusiasm and your interest and I hope you enjoy what is yet to come!

This chapter starts to build the foundation of where this story is going to end. I bring in a lot of characters, only some of whom are immediately recognizable. If you think you see where I'm going though, kudos to you!

Also? This is the chapter where I discovered I love writing Yue and Yukito talking to one another. They are hilarious, like an awkwardly cohabitating Odd Couple.

Enjoy!

* * *

Sakura soared over the Kingdom of Clow for what seemed like forever. Well above the treetops, she had a perfect view of the lands far from the castle garden and the nearest town, farther than she had journeyed in her whole life. At first, Sakura barely paid any attention.

"Syaoran," she kept saying, "please be safe."

Her only comforts were the ofuda tucked in her sash, proof that Syaoran's magic was still strong and, therefore, that he had not been killed by Madoushi. Each ofuda disintegrated as its power was exhausted, but another would begin to glow at once, continuing the spell he had cast upon her. Sakura pressed her hands to them, their trickle of power a certainty of Syaoran's relative well-being long after she could no longer see the castle clearly in the distance.

But while the ofuda allayed Sakura's fears, there was something else that occupied her heart. For Syaoran had called her by name. They had known one another for so many years, and only today had he called her by name.

What did it mean?

Fear clutched Sakura's heart – could it have been his way of saying goodbye? And not the goodbye of one day to another, but a final goodbye?

"No. He promised he would come for me. He promised. Syaoran would never let anything stop him from keeping his word," she told herself. "I just have to trust him and believe in him and do my part to help him until he finds me."

So resolved, Sakura's heart lightened for the first time since she had been summoned to Madoushi's chamber. Fragile courage and Syaoran's faith in her had given her strength in the fight, but this certainty allowed her to breathe with an easier sort of cheer. Of course she was still worried about everyone, but she trusted Syaoran enough to be sure everything would be all right in the end.

With this in mind, Sakura turned her attention more to the lands below her. As soon as she began looking more closely, however, Sakura frowned in confusion. The forest above which she still flew on Syaoran's magic was...green.

Of course, all the trees and the gardens and the lands surrounding the castle had been green, too. Hadn't they?

Sakura peered back at the miles of woodlands she had already crossed. No, it was not her imagination. The trees behind her were paler in color and less dense. In fact, the comparison between what lived closer to the castle and what she could now see ahead of her was rather stark. The lands nearest the castle were downright sickly.

Sakura closed her hands tightly. "It's not right! She...she's not just pulling Clow's magic out of everything around her, but the very life of the kingdom! There has to be something we can do to stop her! We have to do something or everyone..."

Two things happened at once. The first was that the Key, still safely hanging on its cord around Sakura's neck, began to glow. But Sakura promptly forgot about this when she realized the far more important change – Syaoran's ofuda had finally exhausted themselves.

She began to fall.

Sakura let out a high, panicked scream. The nearest towering tree loomed before her.

She felt herself hit something from the side before everything went black.

-==OOO==-

Sakura woke completely later. She blinked her eyes, still making sense of being awake at all. But she was lying on cool grass and seemed not to be moving anymore. The branches of a dense tree hung above her, and beyond that she could see the sky growing dark.

"Are you alive yet?"

Sakura turned her head at the strange question. Sitting on a fallen branch mere inches from her nose was something round and yellow and altogether too close to her face.

Sakura cried out in surprise, instinctively recoiling away from the unexpected sight.

The thing in front of her also recoiled with a shout. "What? What's the matter?"

Sakura sat up and pushed her back against the trunk of the tree, staring. The little creature was no more than the size of the plush toy she had been making for Yukito, and it was similarly rounded and fuzzy, too. But this had a yellowish body with some resemblance to a bear except for the overly large ears, disproportionately longer limbs, and a pair of tiny white wings that fluttered with the creature's alarm.

"Uh...hello?" Sakura ventured.

The creature sighed. "You don't know who I am, do you?"

Sakura shook her head. "No. Should I? I'm Sakura."

The creature rolled its eyes. "I know that. Kinomoto Sakura. I know you."

"Oh! You know my name!" Sakura grinned. "It's been so long since anyone remembered us."

"Yeah, I know the feeling," the little creature said. It hovered in the air and drew near to Sakura, staring intently into her face. "Let me guess. It was a curse, right? And people forgot about you?"

"Something like that."

"That's what happened to us, too," the little creature said. "Except that's not all it took from us. Our memories are pretty scrambled, too. But I definitely remember you, and I definitely remember that." It pointed to the Key hanging against Sakura's chest.

"You must have been at the castle, then!" Sakura frowned. "I feel like I should recognize you, but…"

"Don't try too hard," the creature said. "You'll just get a headache. It's enough that you're here and you believe me." It paused, and then said, "I'm sorry I can't introduce myself to you properly. I don't remember my name."

Sakura immediately felt sorry for the little thing. "At least I still have mine. My brother helped protect me when the curse was cast. Is there at least something I can call you?"

"We call him 'Pancakey,' or Cakey' for short," came another voice, "because he can't stop talking about it. It's his favorite food, apparently."

"And because 'Bear' was taken," added a third.

Sakura looked and saw several more strange creatures gathered not far away, all of which were the size of plush toys. Indeed, there was a little brown bear as well as a goose, a yellow cat, a pudgy penguin, a lizard, and a tan rabbit.

"Um. Good evening," Sakura said. "It's nice to meet all of you. I'm Kinomoto Sakura."

The brown bear stepped forward. "Were you hurt by your fall?" it asked.

Sakura paused to consider, then shook her head. "No. Somehow, I'm okay."

"That's a relief," said the little rabbit. "We were all very worried."

The lizard clearly rolled its eyes.

"Thank you for being concerned about me," Sakura said politely.

Cakey floated into her field of view again. "You can call them all what they are. Bear, Cat, Rabbit, Penguin, Goose, and Alligator."

Penguin smirked. "We call Alligator 'Allie' so you can use that, too. We all like it."

"I do not!" Alligator said angrily. "Only you call me that because you think it's funny!"

"Now, now," Goose waddled a few steps over to move between them. "Behave."

"If you are not hurt," Cat said, smiling faintly, "we should return home. It is getting dark."

"Wait." That was Cakey, who turned to hover before the others. "She's wearing something very important. Something I remember a little. Do any of you?"

"He means this," Sakura held out the Key.

Bear, Alligator, Penguin, and Rabbit all looked to one another and shrugged. Cat peered more closely, but finally also shook its head. Goose stretched out its neck a bit, eyes fixed on the Key; after a moment, however, Goose turned away and gave a sigh.

"It's just a void inside," Goose said softly.

"Well, it isn't for me!" Cakey said with indignance. "That's an important thing and I remember Sakura a little, too, and that makes her an important person!"

"That's what you said about us," Rabbit's voice was low and sad. "When you met each of us. You said we were important things, too. But you didn't remember us the way you remember her."

"That was gut instinct," Cakey tossed his head.

"So what does your heart tell you now?" Bear asked.

Cakey spun in the air and looked at Sakura for a long moment. "We should bring her home with us. I want to keep her with us until I can figure out what I remember about her. And besides, the woods aren't safe. We should protect her."

"Thank you for your kindness," Sakura began. "But…"

Cat crept to Sakura's side and peered at her. "Do you have somewhere else you need to go?"

"No," Sakura said. "But...someone will be looking for me. Well, someone will be coming to find me to protect me from someone else who might come looking for this." She held out the Key again. "And I promised to take care of it."

"So, come with us, then," Cakey decided. "That way you can hide and protect your important thing until your friend comes. And then!" His face lit up with excitement. "We can see if we remember them, too!"

"If you know me, you might know Syaoran," Sakura said. "He was at the castle with me. Is the name familiar? Li Syaoran?"

Cakey shrugged. "It doesn't work that way. If I only had your name, I wouldn't know I remembered you. But when I saw you, I remembered your name. So maybe I'll remember this Li kid when I see him, but maybe I won't." He looked away. "I hope I do."

"Don't give up," said Rabbit. "You remember Sakura. She's the first thing you've remembered in a long time."

"How long have you been here?" Sakura wanted to know.

Bear answered, shrugging. "We don't know. We don't remember being anywhere else."

"But you must know how many winters have passed or have some other way of telling time."

Alligator rolled its eyes again. "We sleep a lot. We don't bother with the seasons. They're never the same when we wake up."

"That's so awful!" Sakura looked between her new friends with sympathy. "So you could have been here for years or decades and would never know! Have you been alone all this time?"

"We're not alone," Cat said. "We have one another."

"Cakey found us," Goose added. "And when we weren't asleep, we made our house together so we wouldn't ever have to be alone."

"And what do you do the rest of the time?" Sakura wanted to know.

Penguin spread its wings. "Mostly we just sit around and try to remember things and annoy each other until we go back to sleep."

"You mean _you_ annoy _us_ ," Alligator said darkly.

"That's true." Penguin smiled sweetly.

But Sakura was thinking. "If I can ask, how did you find me?"

The little creatures looked as one to Goose. "Something woke me up," Goose said. "I sleep less than the rest of them. I decided to go for a walk."

"But that woke me up," Rabbit said. "So I followed."

"And that woke me, and I was having a nice dream, too," Alligator said, clearly grouchy. "So I woke everybody else up and we all went to find Rabbit and Goose."

"And then I saw you in the sky," Cakey fluttered close to Sakura once more. "You were flying and suddenly you weren't anymore. And since I can fly and I know how scary it is to fall, I thought I should try to help you."

"He caught you!" Cat smiled. "Well, not perfectly, because you're so much bigger. But he slowed you down after you went into the tree and he helped you fall so you didn't hit any branches."

"But you didn't wake up," Bear said. "So we sat and waited for you."

Sakura was touched. She pulled her feet beneath her and clasped her hands in her lap, bowing low at the waist. "If not for you, I'm sure I would not be safe and unhurt now. Thank you for helping me and for watching over me. If there is something I can do for you, I'll do anything."

Cakey hovered to Sakura's bent head and touched the top of her head gently. "Come home with us, please. I want to know why I remember you, and I don't want you to be out here alone at night."

Sakura sat up and smiled at him. "Okay. Thank you again."

The little creatures all backed up enough for her to rise, proving to Sakura just how much bigger than all of them she was. Cakey settled into a flying position beside Sakura's shoulder and the others gathered around her feet. Rabbit looked up at her shyly.

"What is it?" Sakura asked.

Rabbit bounced once in place. "Can I...I'm so much smaller than the others...I would like…"

Penguin reached over and bopped Rabbit on the head. "You're an idiot."

Rabbit flinched but then crossed its little arms. "I don't care. I like her!"

Cakey glanced at Sakura and shrugged. So Sakura bent low and scooped Rabbit into her hands. After a moment's thought, and glancing through the dense woods ahead, she set Rabbit on her shoulder opposite where Cakey fluttered. Rabbit gave Sakura a bright smile.

"Now can we go?" Alligator asked. Sakura would have offered the short-legged lizard a ride as well except for the obvious disdain in its expression.

"It's not far," Cakey told Sakura as the others on the ground began leading the way. "It's a little small, but I'm sure you'll fit with us."

Sakura navigated the darkening forest carefully, grateful for assistance from her new friends. With night fast approaching, the dense shadows beneath the trees made the ground hard to see, but the little creatures were careful to warn her when there were thorns or hidden roots or sudden holes. Cakey, hovering above, also helped to move branches out of Sakura's way, holding them until she had passed so she wasn't caught up in them.

Sakura picked her way through the dense forest until it was almost true dark, and she could barely see farther than the length of her own arm. But finally a huge shape loomed up before her.

"Is this...a tree?" Sakura asked. She was not afraid because her friends seemed so certain.

"It's our home!" Rabbit said happily.

"Everybody inside," Cakey said. "Rabbit, you too. I'll guide Sakura in so she doesn't bump her head."

Rabbit jumped easily to the ground from Sakura's shoulder and the others all moved ahead into the dark, chattering quietly. But Cakey moved to take Sakura's right thumb between his two tiny paws.

"The opening is pretty low, but it gets bigger inside. I think you'll be able to stand up in a bit."

Sakura crouched down, following the guiding tug on her thumb until she was almost crawling. Then Cakey drew her forward and she shuffled carefully along, feeling with her other hand for balance. She found a nest of roots and realized Cakey was pulling her into a gap between them.

"Careful. You'll have to climb a little. I'll help."

Sakura let Cakey move her, setting a hand on a root before he darted to a foot to guide it to a solid hold for her weight. One limb at a time, Sakura slowly descended into the hole. Cakey chattered to himself quite happily, but he never let Sakura take a single misstep and she trusted him completely. It was probably a climb of only a few feet, but in the utter darkness, it felt far longer to Sakura.

At last Cakey stopped and said, "Close your eyes, Sakura." When she had obeyed, she heard Cakey's voice rise up.

"King of the Forest, please guard us in your embrace."

Sakura sensed warmth and light and opened her eyes. There was a large area in a gap beneath what must be an absolutely massive tree, big enough for a grown man and his horse to pass the night without being too crowded in the chamber that was directly below the tree's trunk. But what was far more astonishing was that the roots themselves, particularly those above that twisted into a knot at the base of the tree, were glowing.

Sakura stretched a hand to the nearest root and could feel magic pulsing against her skin.

"This tree is the oldest in the woods," Cat said. "It's absorbed a lot of sunlight and a lot of life that it shares with us here."

"And a lot of magic," Sakura said. "I wonder if this tree has been protecting the magic of the forest to keep Madoushi from stealing it, and that's why everything here is so green and alive."

Cakey shrugged. "It's a safe place and it protects us. Even rain doesn't get in."

Bear stepped close to Sakura's feet and tapped at her shoe. "You should sleep again. We've made you a bed."

She looked up and, sure enough, the other creatures had been piling soft mosses together in the middle of the floor.

"Were these your beds?" she asked. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable for my sake!"

"Don't worry," Penguin said with a wink. "We'll cuddle up to you to make up for it."

"Besides, we get cold," Cat said. "Do you mind?"

Sakura grinned. "Not at all!"

She carefully sat down in the pile of moss and found with just a bit of poking and prodding it became a rather unusual but perfectly acceptable bed. As soon as she had settled down rest, Cakey immediately landed on a tuft of moss near Sakura's face. Cat and Rabbit boldly climbed to where they could curl up on her stomach. Alligator, after some grumbling, pressed against one of her legs, while Penguin made itself comfortable against the other. Bear tucked itself between one of Sakura's arms and her chest.

Goose, after watching the others get settled, made a nest next to Sakura's shoulder opposite Cakey. Goose extended its head to rest its beak on Sakura's collarbone.

"Good night, Sakura," Goose said with a happy sigh.

"Good night, Sakura!" most of the others repeated.

"Sleep well," Cakey mumbled, already mostly asleep himself.

Sakura felt the little bodies all around her dropping off and going still and relaxed, but as warm and comfortable as they were, she could not quite close her eyes yet. Here, in the relative safety of the tree, seeing the gentle glow of the forest's magic, the memory of how her day had begun overtook her ease.

Without disturbing her friends, Sakura took the Key in the hand not cradling Bear and whispered into the magic tree's light as though it could hear her.

"Syaoran. I know you promised to find me. I know you won't give up. But...I wish you were here now. I...miss you. And Father, and Big Brother. I hope you're all safe. I'll be brave for you, as brave as you would be if you were here. But I..."

Her words drifted off as Sakura fell into a sleep filled with dreams of things that flew on wings of safety and magic.

-==OOO==-

Elsewhere in the forest, Syaoran had not stopped moving in spite of his body's exhaustion. But with the full dark of night upon him and the tree-branches thick above, he walked into more than one impassible bush and had to fight to get out of it again.

Finally, he realized he could no longer mark the trees before him well enough to serve as landmarks to keep him moving in the proper direction. Frustrated and drained, he leaned on the nearest tree-trunk.

"I can't help Sakura if I weaken myself too much," he admitted with bitterness. "I'll have to rest at least a little."

Syaoran sank down against the tree with his back against its trunk. He reached into a pocket and found a warding ofuda. This he flicked into the air with a painful motion that seemed to scrape at the rawness of his remaining magic.

"Keep me safe and hidden," he told it.

The ofuda trembled for an instant before Syaoran's will hardened enough for it to snap to the tree trunk above his head, casting an invisible shield around him. If the forest had not been so sickly itself, Syaoran could have asked the very trees to guard him, but they had nothing to give a weary traveler so close to Madoushi's evil presence.

Syaoran tipped his head up to rest it against the rough bark.

"Sakura." He breathed her name into the dark. "Sakura."

He hoped she was safe. He hoped she wasn't frightened. He hoped she knew he would find her and protect her. He hoped she forgave him for sending her away.

At the very edge of his awareness, Syaoran thought he sensed a familiar presence, though one he had not felt in many years. But sleep began to claim him and he could not quite gather enough focus to be sure.

Still, even the imagined presence of Kinomoto Nadeshiko watching over him comforted him as he passed into slumber.

-==OOO==-

In the morning, Sakura woke to an inner call honed in her years as a servant expected to rise before the sun to begin her daily chores. She blinked at the warmth and weight all around her, her mind taking a few moments to retreat from sleep and recall her surroundings. Her seven little friends were all still sprawled about her, though Cakey was somehow upside-down now and Alligator was sleeping on its back with all four feet straight up in the air.

The tree's glow had faded, but the first light of false dawn was peeking through a gap in the roots, and Sakura could almost feel the tree waking up as well.

Suddenly a feathery weight patted her cheek. Sakura turned to see Goose awake, black eyes blinking at her. Goose repeated the gesture, cuddling its soft head against Sakura for an instant. Then it sighed happily and curled back into its nest, tucking its head under its wing.

Sakura supposed she could have gone back to sleep, but suddenly her stomach reminded her that she had had neither lunch nor supper the day before and, while it might have forgiven her for forgetting to eat after all that excitement, it would not be content to continue without being fed. Sakura decided she might as well get up before her stomach's rumbling woke her new friends.

It took her many minutes to slowly extricate herself, carefully unwinding her arms from Bear and from where Rabbit had moved in the nighttime, and easing Cat off her chest – though Cat eventually proved to be awake and simply allowed Sakura to shift it before it curled up around Goose. Sakura had to carefully lift her legs, smiling as Alligator and Penguin slid into the void she left behind to cuddle one another. Cakey opened a bleary eye just long enough to decide to go back to sleep, crawling over and dumping himself between Cat and Goose.

Sakura made her way across the little space to the opening where she could see light. No longer blinded by nightfall, she found it an easy climb to pull herself out of the earth beneath the tree. But even if the climb had been difficult, Sakura felt safe. The tree warmed at her touch, and she felt sure it would never let her fall any more than Cakey would have.

Now that she could see it properly, she looked up to the tree's branches in delight, for it was a cherry tree in nearly full bloom. The flowers for which she had been named comforted her even more.

"Now," Sakura told herself, "to see about breakfast."

By the time dawn had fully arrived and bathed the world in a warm, golden light, Sakura had gathered as many of the fruits of the forest that were good to eat as she could identify, her skirt filled with the earliest berries and some preserved nuts from the winter where she carried it before her like a basket. She had also spotted some familiar roots and leaves and mushrooms growing not far from the tree, which she knew how to make into a hearty stew. But that would require a cooking pot and fire, and she had neither. It was a problem she was determined to solve after breakfast.

"Sakura!"

At the sound of her name, Sakura realized how long she had been gone. "Coming!" she called, holding her skirt tightly and rushing back to the towering cherry tree.

Cakey met her before she reached the clearing around the tree, his face drawn with worry. "You weren't there when we woke up! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Sakura said. "I'm sorry I worried you. I just wanted to get breakfast for everyone."

They reached the clearing where the other six were gathered at the edge of the wood.

"Good morning, everyone! I found berries." Sakura smiled at them. "I hope you don't mind that I didn't want to trouble you when I woke up."

"We're more worried about you than us," Goose said with a quiet reprimand in its voice. "Didn't you tell us that someone will come looking for you because of that?" It pointed to the Key Sakura wore. "What if they had come and we didn't know? We couldn't protect you, then!"

Sakura sank down on the grass. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to do something nice for you after you let me sleep in your home last night."

"You shouldn't have bothered," Alligator said, its long jaw snapping. "Only Cakey eats anyway."

Sakura blinked at them. "You don't eat? At all?"

Bear gave Alligator a mild look. "We appreciate your kindness, Sakura, but Alligator is correct. The rest of us never seem to feel hungry or need to eat."

"But you do?" Sakura looked at Cakey.

"Cakey doesn't need to eat, either. He just likes it! He's greedy and he'll eat more than all of us and you put together!" Penguin giggled at the indignation on Cakey's face.

"I'm not greedy! I just work hard for my happiness!" Cakey replied.

"Well," Sakura spread out her skirts and let her harvest fall, "eat all you like then, and I will do!"

As Cakey began piling sweet berries into his mouth, Sakura eating no less heartily but certainly less messily, Cat drew up close and leaned against her side.

"Goose has a good point, Sakura. It might not be safe for you to be alone in the woods."

"But what would we be able to do about it?" Bear asked. "Even if someone did try to hurt Sakura, even if we want to protect her."

"We're too little," Rabbit's voice was soft. "We can't even fly."

"I'm sure there's something you can do," Sakura tried to comfort them. "If we all work together, I'm sure we'll find a way."

Cakey stopped eating and looked up at Sakura with a new sort of energy. "Well, I can fly, so that's something. And I'm strong, too, even though I'm little." He shook himself and his golden eyes took on an odd expression. "I'll be your Guardian, Sakura."

"A Guardian?" Sakura blinked at him. Then she smiled. "You know what? Clow Reed had Guardians once, too. One was a golden lion and the other was a silver-haired mage and they always protected him. But he was a very, very powerful magician. I barely have any power at all, so I guess it's fitting to have a much littler Guardian!"

Cakey stared at her. "Clow...Reed?"

She nodded. "Yes. This was his kingdom long ago. And he's the one who made this Key."

Cakey abandoned his berries and floated close to her. "Sakura, can I touch the Key?"

Sakura looked rather confused, but she held it out. "Of course you can."

Cakey stretched his little paws to the swan head of the Key. The instant he touched it, there was an explosion of bright light.

Sakura cried out in alarm.

But as suddenly as it had begun, the light vanished.

"Are you all right, Sakura?" Cat asked, bumping its head against her.

Sakura took a deep breath, blinking at the Key that felt warm again against her palm. "Yes, I think so. Oh, Cakey! Are you all right?"

Cakey was still in the air, but he was now a bit farther from where he had been. He looked at Sakura with golden eyes that seemed deeper somehow, but he nodded. "I'm not hurt."

"What happened?" Goose wanted to know.

"I don't know." Sakura shook her head. "It's never done that before."

"Well, I am a little magical, too," Cakey said quickly. "Maybe the Key wasn't used to other magics."

"I guess that could be it," Sakura said.

"Anyway." Cakey grinned and returned to the grass. "There's still berries to eat and I'm going to eat them!"

Sakura was glad to see the little creature return to his breakfast with such interest. After a few more bites of her own, she had an odd thought. "Your name is Pancakey, right?"

Cakey's mouth was too full to answer, but Bear said, "Yes."

"But when did you eat pancakes?" Sakura asked. "You don't have the ingredients out here, do you?"

"No." Penguin shook its head. "But he remembers them. Every time we're trying to remember something important, he just remembers pancakes all over again."

"Oh!" Sakura thought about that. "Well, if I ever get the chance, I'll make you some, okay?"

Cakey's face flushed happily. "You will? Really?"

"Sure!"

"Hooray!" Cakey cheered. "Sakura is my friend!"

Sakura was too busy laughing at Cakey's rejoicing to notice Rabbit, Goose, and Cat exchanging worried glances.

Later, when Sakura went with Penguin and Alligator to see the river that flowed nearby where she could wash her hands and get a drink of water, the remaining five little creatures gathered in a quick huddle.

"What happened, Cakey?" Rabbit asked.

"I...remembered some things." Cakey's voice was uncharacteristically still and serious. "Some very important things."

"What were they?" Bear wanted to know.

But Cakey shook his head. "I don't want to tell you yet. I want to see if you remember on your own."

"It was Sakura's Key, wasn't it?" Goose asked.

Cakey nodded. "And the name Clow Reed."

"Why don't you want to tell Sakura about it?" Cat asked.

Cakey's expression grew distant. "Because...I...I think...there is something Sakura needs to understand for herself. Something more important than everything else in the world. And she won't really understand it if she doesn't find it all by herself."

He looked fondly at the four creatures around him. "I don't really understand it, but I think we have to give her time to understand before I tell her anything. Will you trust me this much?"

Goose and Rabbit looked at one another before nodding, and Bear was nodding too. It was Cat who said, "You have always trusted us and protected us. Of course we'll trust you."

"Good," Cakey nodded. "Then make sure you tell Alligator and Penguin when Sakura isn't around. Otherwise, let's do our best to help her feel comfortable here with us."

By the time Sakura returned from the river, only Cakey was visible in the clearing.

"We've decided to make you a proper bed in the tree," he told her with a smile. "Come and see."

Sakura followed him into the cherry tree, Penguin and Alligator at her side. Within, Bear and Goose were carefully holding some roots in place while Cat and Rabbit wound thinner, springy roots around them. It was a bit like weaving a basket from the living roots of the tree.

Sakura clapped her hands. "That's wonderful! If you make it big enough, you can all keep sleeping beside me if you like."

Alligator snorted.

"You liked it better than anybody," Penguin teased, poking it.

"Only because Sakura is warm and sleeps quietly, unlike you," Alligator replied sharply.

They joined the others and set about making a proper bed beneath the tree. But before long, Sakura paused.

"Do...do you think we could make another one?" she asked.

Cakey paused in mid-air and turned to her. "Why?"

"For Syaoran. He'll be here soon, and I'd like him to stay with us, too."

Cakey saw the raw hope in Sakura's eyes and felt his own tired heart lift a bit. "Of course we can, Sakura! We can do anything if we work together!"

Sakura's grin went wide and bright and she returned to her work humming happily.

Cakey watched her for a few moments, keeping his thoughts to himself. And rather strange thoughts they were, indeed.

Even with all eight of them working, it took them another day and a half to finish both beds beneath the cherry tree. After they had woven the baskets strong and solid and had very, very politely asked the tree to hold them up, they gathered sweet rushes and ferns to line them to make them soft and comfortable. But part of the reason it took them so long to finish was that they had also begun gathering food as a group and much more of it to sustain Sakura's natural appetite – to say nothing of Cakey's, which seemed greater than ever.

They could not come up with a way to make a pot for Sakura to cook in, but they did build a neat little fireplace during the afternoon of the second day at the edge of the clearing so the fire would not trouble their beloved tree. Alligator and Cat immediately volunteered for fire-watching duty, loving the warmth of the earth nearest the flames. Penguin and Rabbit found that they were adept fishers and helped provide Sakura with more substantial food than mere berries. Rabbit and Goose, on the other hand, found themselves following Cakey's lead more and more, keeping a watchful eye over their little patch of forest.

For those three seemed to sense what the others did not – that these quiet, easy days under the forest canopy would not last for long.

-==OOO==-

"Touya! That's enough!"

At the firm, almost edged note in Yukito's voice, Touya slowed his horse and turned in surprise; Yukito never spoke harshly, so this sudden tone was startling. "What is it?"

Several strides behind, Yukito waited until his own mount moving at an exhausted trot was even with Touya before he answered, looking over his glasses at Touya disapprovingly. "The horses can't go on like this anymore. We need to give them a rest or we'll ruin them."

Touya scowled. "They can go a little more."

Yukito shook his head. "I'm telling you they can't. And Yue is telling me. When Yue can see that the animals are at their breaking point, it must be obvious even to you."

Touya's fists tightened around the reins he held and he dropped his eyes. After a few tense moments, he wordlessly swung one leg over the horse and dropped to stand beside it. Touya did not look back to Yukito as he said, "Very well. We'll walk them for a while."

Yukito nodded and dismounted as well. He patted the white horse on the neck and pulled its reins over its head, settling in to walk beside Touya while the pair settled into a much slower, more comfortable pace for their exhausted horses.

"I'm sorry," Yukito said several minutes of silence later. "I can understand how you feel, but…"

"No, you were right," Touya said, still not looking at him. "If we had gone on, the horses would not have been able to recover enough to continue after some rest."

In Yukito's mind, Yue spoke. _He didn't realize he had pushed so far. He is used to relying upon his magic to tell him when others falter. I am surprised it has taken so long. Anyone else would have made the same error two days ago._

 _He is observant even without magic_ , Yukito thought back. _And now he will berate himself for making such a mistake._

 _He is young_ , Yue thought with an almost perceptible shrug. _It is bound to happen._

Yukito considered that. Then he smiled. _I missed you. It is good to hear you again after so long._

The admission stunned Yue into silence and Yukito laughed aloud.

Touya turned at last, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

"My other self is unused to being appreciated, it seems," he said by way of explanation.

The slight upturn of Touya's mouth was the only smile Yukito received, but the only one he would expect given their circumstances. With a knowing look, Touya asked, "Should I apologize to you for having given my powers to Yue, now that you once again have a rather opinionated presence in your head that you cannot ignore?"

Yukito shook his head. "No, of course not. I'm grateful Yue is alive and strong again. Though I am sure you would not appreciate what he is saying about you if you could hear it."

"I can imagine," Touya said dryly.

"Should _I_ be sorry?"

Touya caught the sudden uncertainty in Yukito's voice. His own went lower and more gentle. "I expected you to ask me that sooner than this, Yuki."

Yukito shrugged in a gesture less like Yue and more like Touya himself than he would have believed. "Even when we were resting the horses before, you could only think of getting to the border. And Yue didn't think there was anything to discuss. But it's been two days and I think I'm starting to irritate him with my wondering, so..."

"And what does Yue say?" Touya asked.

"He says that you knew what you were doing. That I should not feel guilty because my function is primarily to supplement him, and your sacrifice guaranteed Yue's strength and therefore our continued existence. And...that if you were truly Clow's heir, you would not have done so."

"That's true," Touya said. "I'm not Clow's heir. I'm glad he finally believes me."

"But _why_ aren't you? You could have been."

Touya let out a breath, knowing that it was Yukito, not Yue, who was so troubled by that very question. "Because I'm not. I never was. We've been over this."

"I know." Yukito's face fell and he stared at the road beneath his feet. "And Yue is comfortable with that. But I…"

"In your own way, you've been waiting longer than Yue," Touya said. "Do you fear no one will ever come to be Clow Reed's true inheritor? That I was the only chance?"

"Sometimes," Yukito admitted. "We were so glad when you were born, Touya. You had such amazing powers already, and they only grew as you aged. Not enough to rival Clow himself, but enough to break the Seal on the Key. Enough to revive the other magics that are fading."

"If it were just a matter of power," Touya said, "Madoushi could have done it herself, and you wouldn't be happy with that at all." He actually paused and reached for Yukito's shoulder, turning him until the familiar, guileless brown eyes met his gaze. "I cannot be Clow Reed. Just like you could never be Yue. I like you better that way, anyway."

Yukito's eyes widened.

Touya never looked away. "You feel guilty, Yuki. I knew it before I lost my powers and it's clearer to me now. I finally understand why you were so desperate for me to become Yue's master."

Yukito's tongue went suddenly dry. "Why...do you think that is?"

"Because if I were Yue's master, if I stepped in as Clow Reed's true heir, then your conflict would be easily resolved for you without you having to face it."

Yukito's heart might have frozen in his chest if not for the spontaneous, triumphant yelling inside his head. _He's not a complete moron! I suppose that just leaves you, you slow and foolish other half of me!_

Yukito could not deal with Touya's seeking eyes and Yue's shouting at once, so he shut his own eyes and turned his thoughts inward. _What do you mean?_

 _Yukito. You may have been created as my disguise, my temporary form through which I conserve power or go unnoticed, but that is not all that you are now._

 _It isn't?_

 _Don't pretend you don't know. At first, even after Clow Reed's death, you were merely a shell, a reflection of myself. But as I grew weaker and fled my true form more and more, you lived amongst humans for longer and longer spans of time. You became more than me. You became a true person in your own right._

 _An artificial person created as your shadow, Yue._

 _Artificial or no, you came to have thoughts and feelings other than my own. Even before Kinomoto Touya was born, you were more human than I have ever been, by far._

 _And now?_

 _And now you are more human still. The years I spent hiding asleep to avoid that monster in our own castle left you to grow alone without influence from me. Your mind is as human and independent from me as Touya's._

Then Yue's thoughts turned smug. _Well, perhaps slightly less so, now._

 _What do you mean by that?_

 _Figure it out for yourself, my other half. The knowledge is in your human heart and soul. And you will not find it with your eyes shut._

Yukito opened his eyes at the mental nudge from Yue to see Touya watching him closely. "Um…" he began.

"Yue finished having his say?" Touya asked, smiling slightly.

"He...says there are some things I must figure out on my own. Otherwise, yes."

Touya huffed, clearly amused. "I think you may be as dense as Sakura, Yuki. It figures."

"It does?"

"Yes." Touya began walking again, leading his horse and letting Yukito catch up with his longer strides after a moment of surprise. "But either you'll find your way to it or I'm sure Yue will tire of watching you worry about it and he'll just tell you. Though I hope he doesn't."

"Why not?" Yukito asked, Yue asking the same question inside his mind.

"There are some things that you can't learn by being told. You have to find them for yourself, even if that means fighting your hardest and struggling through difficult times. They're true even if someone tells you, but they won't have the same power if you don't earn them on your own."

 _He may be right, at least about this much and yourself, Yukito_ , Yue thought at him. _Which only further proves my point. Keroberos and I have no such need. But Clow Reed believed something quite similar about the people of his kingdom._

 _Does this mean you won't tell me, either?_ Yukito asked him.

 _I won't tell you if you can work it out for yourself. But if you take too long, or it becomes urgent, then I'll tell you._

Yukito nodded, including both Yue and Touya in the gesture. "My other half agrees with you," he told Touya.

"Good," Touya said. "I was hoping the both of you couldn't be all that dense."

"Apparently it's just me." Yukito smiled a little ruefully.

He was not expecting it when Touya reached over and ruffled his hair. Yukito looked up at him. When had Touya become so tall?

For that matter, when had he stopped thinking of Touya as a boy?

But before he could consider that thought much longer, Yue abruptly wrenched control from him, switching their body to Yue's true form with only the slightest afterthought of apology.

Touya was quick enough to grab Yukito's horse's reins before the horse bolted at the sudden transformation. "What is it?"

Yue looked down the path, his senses extended and seeking. "Powerful magic."

"Good afternoon."

Touya whirled in place to see a figure standing on the road behind them. Yue took to the air and put himself between Touya and the source of such magic. Magic that, he realized, had been hidden even from himself until this instant.

Stepping to one side so he could see around Yue's wingspan, Touya studied the figure. He did not see any weaponry, but that only made the threat worse. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"I did not mean to surprise you," she answered. "I am sorry if I caused any concern. My name is Mizuki Kaho. I am just a traveler, like you." She tipped her head to one side and smiled gently, her long red hair falling like a waterfall over one shoulder. She wore simple, unadorned traveling clothes, very like the style preferred by both men and women for long journeys – loose trousers, a shirt with broad sleeves, and a sturdy over-tunic and cloak.

Touya glanced to Yue. If the Moon Guardian had not sensed the woman until she deliberately revealed herself, she must be more than a mere traveler.

Mizuki Kaho folded her hands before her. "You are heading north, are you not? To the border? Would you permit me to join you?"

"No," Touya said. "We are in a hurry."

"You seek to reach the Prince of the White Jade Throne before Madoushi breaks the spell binding her within the book," Kaho said. "I am afraid even if you arrived at the border today, you would be too late. The barrier constraining that evil is breaking as we speak. But there is another power ready to keep her mischief at bay, at least for now."

"How do you know about that?" Yue's voice was short and sharp.

"I am the messenger who delivered the book to your father. I know him. As I know you, Kinomoto Touya. And I know that it will not last much longer."

"That messenger left the castle immediately," Touya said. "Even if that was you, you don't have a horse. We've been riding hard for more than two days. You could never have caught up with us."

"Unless," Kaho's eyes twinkled mysteriously, "someone made it so. Just as someone will continue to contain Madoushi, at least in part, for a while."

"How?" Yue asked.

"Will you allow me to approach, Moon Guardian of Clow?" Kaho asked in return.

Yue looked to Touya, and Touya nodded. Yue shifted in the air to one side, but stayed carefully in range to protect Touya should the woman mean him any harm.

Kaho drew from one sleeve a small scroll. "This was sent to me six years ago by someone you knew quite well."

Touya shifted the reins of both horses to his left hand so he could accept her scroll with his right. But when he saw the seal on it, Touya very nearly dropped it.

For there was no mistaking the unbroken, official and personal sigil of Kinomoto Nadeshiko.

-==OOO==-

Fujitaka rubbed at his face, grateful for the moment of solitude deep in the library where none could see him. Even back when he had been Steward, or in his earliest days in hiding from Madoushi, he had never been so tired.

The people of the castle had finally, by the end of that first fateful day, decided collectively that someone had attacked their precious Queen Madoushi and she had left in order to drive them away. Therefore, while most things had returned to their habitual patterns of the last several years, there were some problems that could not be ignored.

First, of course, was the absence of the Queen herself, but Fujitaka was more concerned with the anxiety her absence caused. Though contained in the book, apparently her powers still held the people in her sway as strongly as ever.

Second, a large number of the castle guard had been cursed into some sort of stony paralysis which nothing yet had been able to resolve. The company of guards had been arranged in rows in a little-used ballroom and the servants tended them to the best of their ability, but even the castle healer could not break whatever spell held them lifeless.

Thirdly, and the major cause for Fujitaka's exhaustion, was the fact of the escape by the prisoners from the dungeon.

It was only Fujitaka's good standing in the household that had spared him the dungeon when it was discovered that the prisoners were gone along with his daughter and Li Syaoran. While none of the people in the castle had recalled Touya's true identity, suspicion for the escape fell on Sakura and Syaoran because Sakura had been responsible for carrying meals to the dungeon, and Syaoran's aloof behavior had bred a certain amount of mistrust among the other servants. But a search of the room Fujitaka had shared with his daughter had turned up nothing of interest, the only items that might have condemned him having been sent away with the others.

And while Sakura and Syaoran were easily blamed, it was agreed by even Captain Terada of the guards that Fujitaka was an honest soul; since he had not disappeared along with the other fugitives, it was reasoned that he must not have agreed with their actions. Fujitaka's apparent loyalty to Queen Madoushi and his general reliability won him a grudging sort of presumption of innocence from those in power.

Only Fujitaka himself knew the truth, and he found the situation rather funny – or would have done, if he weren't so desperately worried about his family and the future of his kingdom.

For two days, Fujitaka continued on with his usual duties, aware with every hour that passed that his son would be farther and farther from him, and hopefully therefore closer to help from the north. He had no way of guessing how distant from the castle Sakura could be, nor how long it would take Syaoran to find her. He could only hope they would both be all right out in the world alone.

And then the book which Fujitaka had kept tucked tightly against his body day and night began to grow cold.

Fujitaka pulled it from the pocket where he had hidden it. The book had been new and unblemished when he had closed Madoushi inside it, but now it looked worn and damaged, as though it had survived a flood and many journeys in the bottom of a crate.

And it was changing color.

Even without magic, Fujitaka could surmise that the binding on Madoushi was about to break. The book had bought his children some time, but that time had run its course.

With seconds to decide, Fujitaka tucked the book into the nearest shelf and bolted as fast as he could run to his little office. It was not cowardice, not in the least. Rather, Fujitaka did not know if Madoushi would recall his presence in the battle, and if she did not, he knew his only hope to continue working on behalf of the good of the kingdom was to remain undiscovered.

He had just reached his desk, slamming the door to the library closed behind him, when there was a blast of sound and a roar of wind.

" _I am free_!" howled a familiar voice.

Fujitaka closed his fingers on the pendant Syaoran had left with him and wondered if he was about to join Nadeshiko at last.

But Madoushi either did not remember his participation in her entrapment or did not know where to find him, for she did not crash into his office as he expected.

Instead, even from behind the closed door, Fujitaka could hear her shout that echoed throughout the castle.

"I want that Key! I want that girl! Any man or woman who enters my sight without them will suffer my greatest fury!"

Fujitaka drew the pendant from his pocket and held it with fingers that trembled as he brought it to his forehead to whisper a fervent prayer.

"Be safe, Sakura. Be wary, Syaoran. She is coming after you both. Be watchful, be careful, be clever. I hope you are together. Take care of one another, my children. The Queen is coming."


	6. Chapter 6

I'm so sorry! Last weekend I was participating in a recital with some friends and it took up WAY more time than I thought it would. Here's last week's chapter as well as this week's.

Enjoy!

* * *

It was well after midday on his third day in the woods before Syaoran's fury subsided. But then, he had only been awake for a day and a half of that time.

After collapsing to sleep against a tree-trunk late into the night the same day he had sent Sakura away from the castle to protect her, he had fallen into a deep, dreamless slumber. For all Syaoran's courage and his skill with his own magic, however, he had underestimated how much he had drained himself in the battle against Madoushi. Syaoran's magic had been dangerously depleted, and, as he only realized when he woke later, he had not been far from death when he had used the last spark of his power to cast the night's protection around himself.

So Syaoran's body, _without_ his permission, had slipped into a healing sleep from which it refused to awaken until the boy was out of danger. It was a trick and a gift common to those with great magic, even if it operated without the person's willing permission. Thus, he had slept until the third dawn after the battle, unmoving and unaware while his young magical strength recovered itself.

But this also meant that precious time had been lost.

When Syaoran first woke and stretched, feeling wonderfully fit and refreshed, he had not realized just how much time had passed. However, within moments of full awareness, he could see the piles of leaves and the deadened grass beneath him, grass that had been denied sunlight for days. It was then that Syaoran drew a quick divination circle in the dirt before him, finding his magic answering him easily as he used it to determine how much time had passed.

"Two days!" he had shouted with such sudden anger that every bird within hearing rose into the air in alarm. "Sakura's been alone out here for two days!"

And he had charged into the forest at his best run, desperate to make up for lost time.

But with the noon hour long passed and Syaoran having made good time heading deeper into the dense forest, his anger at last abated. He supposed it did no good to be angry at himself, for he had dearly needed the rest - indeed, he would have been ill-equipped to help Sakura at all had he come upon her in that state. The sleep might have condemned Sakura to struggle alone in the woods longer, but at least it ensured Syaoran would have some ability to protect her when he found her.

However, for Syaoran to truly protect Sakura, he needed more than just restored energy; he needed his sword.

"At least I've got the strength to do this," he said to himself. " _Some_ good comes of sleeping so much, I guess."

Not long after, Syaoran reached a little glade free of trees and whose underbrush was not so densely packed. It was likely the best place he would find in the woods for what he knew he must do to summon his blade without the pendant he had left behind.

First, Syaoran moved to the center of the clearing and drew an ofuda of fire. Without his sword to direct it, the flames spiralled around him, falling in waves to the ground. Syaoran watched the fire burn carefully, strengthening the spell as needed until the undergrowth in the glade had been burned away. Then he drew another ofuda, this one of water, to ensure no damage spread beyond his little area. The water also washed away the ash and debris of the burned greenery and cleared the air of smoke, leaving Syaoran a fair-sized circle of raw earth unencumbered by anything growing.

Here, Syaoran sat, his eyes closed, quieting his mind and his soul for what was to come.

Syaoran had learned the magic he was about to perform from his mother before he had left the lands of the Li Clan for the Kingdom of Clow. She had warned him that it was a dangerous feat and that he must not undertake it unless he was calm and strong, his powers at their peak. She had also cautioned Syaoran that, for the invocation to work, Syaoran would have to give up something of his own. She had bade him vow never to use this ritual except that it be truly necessary.

Syaoran had not understood then why his mother had looked so sad while she instilled this knowledge into her young son, but now he did; Li Yelan was a fortune-teller of some strength herself, and she had clearly known the fate that awaited her son even so many years in the future.

Syaoran let out a deep breath and opened his eyes. "I hope your faith in me is not mislaid, Mother," he whispered.

Then, Syaoran began to draw an intricate magic circle.

All users of great magic had a distinctive circle that helped them concentrate and control their powers. Clow Reed's circle had been dominated with the image of a Sun in the center, a Moon in orbit around it, and symbols in many languages anchoring the points of the complex shapes and sigils interwoven with both. The circle of the Li Clan had been taught to every child born in the bloodline even before Syaoran had shown himself to be magically gifted. It was far easier to draw than Clow Reed's, as it was more shaped like two squares overlapping than a geometric design; each point of the squares was marked with symbols for the elements, directions, seasons, and the powers of the universe. Its center bore a symbol of balance between Light and Dark.

All of this Syaoran drew in the moist, warm earth while keeping his mind clear and his emotions untroubled. He was reaching into the very heart of his own magic now - any ripple of feeling or break in concentration could do unimaginable damage to his spirit.

When all was ready, he changed into the ceremonial robe Sakura had made for him, sat down, and closed his eyes once more. The spell came to him easily, and he called it with all the conviction in his soul.

" _Imperial king of gods,  
Your divinity watches over the four corners:  
Metal, wood, water, fire, earth,  
Thunder, wind, lightning,  
Hear my command and release the seal!_"

The explosion of power almost killed him.

It was, of course, not really Syaoran's fault. This particular magic was difficult to master even for a grown magician, and Syaoran was still not yet fourteen years old. The sword that had been bound to the pendant was a literal and magical manifestation of Syaoran's own powers. It was not and never had been a thing of the earth - it was only of spirit. To create a physical, durable item from one's own heart was impossible for most magicians; that was why the pendant had been left behind in the Li Clan. It was a focus, a prism through which the powers of one gifted in magic could more easily manifest.

But now Syaoran was trying to teach his body to serve as that prism, that focus. He had removed the protection of the pendant and was relying only upon his own powers and force of will to do the work without any sort of reserve to support him.

Syaoran screamed wordlessly, pain and agony burning along every nerve. He could not move - the magic held him still - but if he could, he would have torn his skin open to try to release the bubbling torrent that was his very blood. He would have clawed at his eyes to stop their pain.

Even as he screamed, however, he clung to his goal. He could not let himself forget the point of it, even as it drove him to the edge of madness.

And then, all at once, every sensation winked out.

Syaoran blinked to find himself in a dark void lit only by the golden magical circle that spun beneath him. Before him, his jian appeared.

Syaoran stretched a hand to grip it, but found he could not reach it; he discovered threads spinning away from his arms as delicate as gossamer that held him just short of his goal. He glanced around at himself and found many more, threads that stretched in all directions. Syaoran followed a particularly solid thread into the darkness with his eyes and, to his surprise, an image appeared.

"Sakura."

Breathing her name made the thread glow.

Syaoran touched another and watched it vanish into darkness which then was lit up with another image. "Mother."

And then another and another. All the ties of his life held him in place and kept him from reaching his sword.

"There will be a price," his mother had warned. "Choose it carefully."

Syaoran understood. He must break one of the threads that bound him in order to release the seal of his sword and draw it into himself. And it must be a thread of some worth - he could not break the thread that bound him to the serving boys in the castle, for he cared little for them. It must be a price of weight. Of equal pain.

Syaoran was reaching for a thread of some significance with an ache in his heart when he stopped. Waited. Could it be that simple?

His fingers settled on a thread that stretched from his chest, from the very core of himself.

"Forgive me, Mother."

And Syaoran ripped free his standing as heir to the Li Clan.

He could have severed the bond between himself and his family entirely - that had been of similar magnitude. But his mother's warning had reminded him that, perhaps, there was something else of worth that he could sacrifice without tearing himself from that which he had already lost once. Now, he could still honestly claim to be _of_ the Li Clan, but no longer would he stand as its heir. It meant he could return home to visit, but never to remain. That he could be his mother's son but never could she be mother to the Head of the Clan.

It was a blow against his honor and his family, but it was a far easier sacrifice to make than one against his heart.

"On the other hand," Syaoran looked at the thread that he knew led him to Sakura, "being Head of the Clan would only make it harder for me to stay at her side. And that is one promise I will never break."

The sword before Syaoran began to glow. He reached for it, and this time nothing impeded him as he wrapped his fingers around the familiar grip.

Syaoran's eyes opened and he found his jian stretched across his knees. His body was shaking, he was covered with sweat, and his breathing was ragged. But the sword had come to him and Syaoran knew that he could dismiss and summon it from his own body now as easily as he ever had from the pendant. The sword was his, and with it all the power of his soul was within his reach, for the pendant would no longer regulate and control it.

But he was exhausted.

Syaoran managed to drag himself to the edge of the trees before he curled up beneath the sheltering arms that blocked out the hot sun.

"I'll rest...just a little. And then...I'll find you, Sakura."

And he fell asleep once more.

-==OOO==-

Madoushi's threat had not been idle.

By the time Fujitaka emerged from his office, listening with every step for the voice of the false queen, three more guards had been cursed, paralyzed where they stood even as they offered Madoushi anything that would please her.

Fujitaka had intended to head into the kitchens, to warn the servants of Madoushi's foul disposition, but instead his feet carried him to the door to the tower that had been Nadeshiko's. It was a door he had not approached since the day of her death.

Fujitaka placed a hand on the smooth grain of the wood. "What would you do, I wonder? How would you protect those whose only crime is their loyalty to that which has bent their minds?"

Suddenly, the lock on the door, the lock that had no key and could only be opened by the power of a true High Priestess, clicked open.

Fujitaka took the sign for an invitation and stepped into his wife's once place of power, shutting the door behind him reverently. For not the first time, Fujitaka lamented that he shared no magic like Touya's or even Sakura's little power; if Fujitaka had held the magic of his son, he knew somehow he would have been able to perceive Nadeshiko once more - for he knew that her spirit must be nearby.

But just because he could not see nor sense her did not mean she was similarly blind to him. Fujitaka smiled in the dimness of the room. "Hello, my dear Nadeshiko."

Was that a faint breeze?

Fujitaka moved into the chamber, undisturbed for so long, and navigated to the nearest lantern to light it with quick familiarity. Though the light revealed dust, it made the forgotten, impenetrable room feel infinitely warmer and more welcoming.

Higher in the tower were the holy spaces, chambers inlaid with patterns and sigils by Clow Reed's own hands for working great magic. Fujitaka knew a person with enough magic could stand in the highest room of the tower and could use the crystalline mirrors set in a ring around the dais to see any corner of the Kingdom without leaving the castle. But such power had been beyond even Nadeshiko - she had tended the room, but could not use it herself. She had confined her work to the chambers between that and this simplest study and repository of Clow Reed's many books and writings.

How Madoushi had never found the tower, nor attempted to use it, Fujitaka could not guess. He could only assume that it was another protection laid down by High Priests and Priestesses long past. Or perhaps Clow Reed himself.

The tower and so many of its secrets, like so much else, were waiting for Clow Reed's true heir.

Fujitaka became aware of the breeze again. "Nadeshiko?" he spoke to the air.

He felt the slightest of tugs, like a sparrow pulling on the hem of his tunic. However, he was paying keen attention and allowed the sensation to draw him farther into the room, his eyes straying to that particular chair where Nadeshiko had often studied, or that that particular seat beneath the now-shuttered window where she would look into the sky with such a faraway expression. But even as he moved through the room that had once been filled with light and laughter and kindness, Fujitaka did not stop smiling gently, nor did he shed a tear. He had promised his wife he would not let sadness stay in his heart, and even amidst so many reminders of her, he would keep that promise.

It was only when he reached the seat against the window that he noticed something amiss in the room that had been so long undisturbed. The heavy cushion on which Nadeshiko and many High Priests and Priestesses before her had passed so many hours was askew. And in the dim light, Fujitaka could see something.

With the gentlest of hands, Fujitaka eased the cushion to one side. The seat had been built against the stone wall of the castle under the shuttered window, but indeed there were wooden planks beneath the cushion, not stone. Fujitaka brushed his fingers against them and felt air moving.

"After all this time, and still you surprise me," he said softly. Fujitaka reached to the candle that stood proud and unused beside the window nook and lit it. With the cushion moved aside and the light clear and bright, Fujitaka could clearly see a space beneath the wide seat.

And in one of the planks of wood, a metal ring. Like a latch.

"I understand," Fujitaka said. "Thank you, Nadeshiko."

He did not need to explore beyond the secret door, did not need to know where the obvious passageway led. Nadeshiko had brought him here; wherever the hidden path traveled, he knew it would be safe, or she would never have guided him so far. Fujitaka had no doubt at all in Nadeshiko's goodwill or wisdom.

He extinguished both the candle and the lantern, hesitating on the threshold of the room before leaving it - and he was not surprised when it did locked behind him.

Madoushi was still raging throughout the castle, her fury audible even so far from her own chambers.

Fujitaka gathered his courage and set off for the kitchens. If any of the servants or other inhabitants of the castle could be saved from her ravages, he would not hesitate to lead them to this secret and protected escape.

-==OOO==-

Above, unaware of the actions of Kinomoto Fujitaka, Madoushi kicked one of her cursed guards to the side, uncaring where he fell.

"That _girl_ ," she seethed, too furious even to maintain human form; instead, she flowed like a stormcloud. "That girl and her Key of Clow! She is the one who is responsible for this! No magic but Clow's own can contain me! And she still bears his Key!"

She glanced with disdain to the cursed members of the castle guard. "The mortals are useless to me. They will only hinder me."

Madoushi stopped her frantic motion and glided to the ruined window that looked down over an equally ruined garden. "I will find that girl myself. Now that I know of the Key, I can find her anywhere. And when I find her, I will take the Key from her lifeless hand!"

Madoushi spread her arms, their very forms unraveling into streamers of cloud and water that spun upward. She smiled and sighed with joy at the release; she had not left her human form since arriving so long ago, and the touch of the wind and the freedom from a mortal body were blissful.

But only for a moment.

As Madoushi rose into the sky like a cyclone, she hit a barrier - invisible to even her keenest senses. It surrounded the entire castle by a wide margin, enough so that she had never even approached its edge before. But now it held her more firmly even than the binding spell had, an impenetrable shield keeping her from leaving the castle.

Madoushi screamed in anger, a blast of lightning striking the garden below in her rage.

For the barrier bore the signature of one Madoushi remembered, one she had defeated.

"That Priestess! She has imprisoned me here! How _DARE_ she?"

But the power was not absolute, and Madoushi could sense its weakness. After all, her birds, heralds of her power, had been freely able to roam the kingdom without constraint. Madoushi knew there must be a method by which she could outdo the power that bound her, though it must come with a cost.

"I can be free only if I leave most of my power behind. If I go from here locked in a form that is weakened and vulnerable. Little better than a mortal myself. Clever and troublesome. I should not have killed that Priestess so quickly. I would like to make her suffer for this insult."

Madoushi considered her options before drawing away from the barrier and returning to her broken window.

"Very well. I will not exhaust myself needlessly just yet. There are other ways to reach and destroy that girl. And my anger at the Priestess shall be borne by her as well, for her impudence is no less an insult!"

Returning herself to mortal form, Madoushi opened her hands to the air and summoned her birds.

"Go! Find the girl who has that which I desire! She bears Clow's magic but not his wisdom, and therefore she will be vulnerable to my rage. Twist her mind and cloud her heart until she is yours. And when she is dead, take the Key from her body and bring it to me!"

The birds, their eyes glowing red, took to the air and Madoushi's cruel laughter followed them into the sky.

-==OOO==-

"So, my Mother left a barrier in place with the last of her power to try to contain Madoushi," Touya said, unable to set down the scroll even after having read it three or four times through.

"Yes."

"And she told you that she intended as much before her death?"

Kaho nodded. "You know better than I that your mother bore a powerful gift of foresight. She knew long before Madoushi ever arrived how that battle would end. She did what she could to try to ensure the best possible future for you and your kingdom."

Yue ducked close to Touya's shoulder and crossed his arms. "None of this explains why you are here now, nor how you acquired the book we used to bind Madoushi."

Kaho dipped her head slightly. "You are correct. And I am sworn not to tell you much more than I have until the time comes."

"And when will that be?" Touya asked.

"When you reach the border."

Yue's eyes narrowed. "You are working for the Prince of the White Jade Throne."

At this, Kaho gave a slight smile. "Correct."

"Will he help us?" Touya asked with sharp intensity.

"That depends entirely upon how matters stand when we reach him," Kaho said. "He is one who knows far more than he has told even I, and sees much farther than I ever could. His plans are always his own. And yet I believe he would be your ally in this."

"Then why wouldn't he help us?" Touya was rapidly losing patience. "If he sees the future so well, why didn't he send us support and assistance when Madoushi came? Or since? Why send only you and only now with a binding that will certainly fail?"

Kaho serenely ignored Touya's tone and heeded only the words. "There is no such thing as coincidence in this world. There is only necessity. What the Prince has done has been only for the sake of all, even if in balance some things have been unfair to you."

She gestured to the dense treeline along both sides of the road. "A fire may sweep through a forest like this and cause great destruction. But from that fire, a new, healthier, stronger forest will grow. And yet lives will be lost, homes to countless creatures burned. The destruction is a necessary step forward that happens always at the right time, even if we might all wish it had never come."

Touya froze. Floating beside him, Yue looked on in perplexed silence as Touya's face fell from his anger to an almost fearfulness.

"What is it?" Yue asked.

But Touya was looking only at Kaho. "It's happening, isn't it? The forest is about to be reborn?"

"Yes."

Touya surged to his horse and mounted. "Yue, you're going to have to fly. I assume she will take Yukito's horse."

Indeed, Kaho was springing into the other horse's saddle ably. "I can show you a quicker path."

"Lead on."

As Kaho urged her horse forward, Touya falling in behind, Yue hovered in the air beside him. "What does this mean?"

Touya grit his teeth as he answered, "It means Sakura has never been in as much danger as she is now."

-==OOO==-

By her third day in the forest beneath the towering cherry tree, Sakura was beginning to feel safe again. She never forgot about the plight of the people of the kingdom or her family, but the threat of Madoushi seemed very far away. And where her life had once been filled with fearful chores beneath the watching eyes of those loyal to Madoushi, now the easy days with her seven friends were restoring her spirits and her faith.

What Sakura could not have guessed was that the nights spent cradled beneath the cherry tree were healing more than her weary spirit; the tree itself was restoring something Sakura had lost long ago. She did not notice it in herself, but Cakey did - and he watched it with interest.

That morning, while Sakura was replacing the ferns and other bedding in the two nests beneath the tree - for as the greenery wilted it became less comfortable - Cakey gathered the others around the fire at the edge of the clearing.

"Shouldn't we be helping?" Rabbit asked.

"Sakura can handle it," Alligator said, sighing happily as it curled up on a flat rock warmed by the fire. "Besides, she's taller than us. It's easier for her to reach. We'd just be underfoot."

"And there's something I need to tell you all," Cakey said. "Something I remember."

"I thought you remembered lots of things," Cat pointed out.

"Yes, but this one is something you have to know, and if none of you have remembered then I'll just tell you," Cakey said by way of explanation. The other six looked at him with interest.

Cakey glanced back to the tree to make sure Sakura was nowhere in sight before he continued.

"We all know we weren't always this way," Cakey said. "We all know something changed and when we first woke up this way, it seemed strange."

The others were nodding, remembering acutely the wrongness of the feeling of waking up in the bodies they now had.

"That Key Sakura has, the Key that the evil queen she was telling us about wants. You need to know that the Key has a spell on it. And if that spell ever breaks, we'll get all our memories back as well as our real bodies."

Penguin chittered with excitement. "How can we break it? Can we break it soon?"

But it was Goose who said, "No."

Cakey nodded at Goose. "If any but myself would remember that much, it would be you."

"I don't remember, not exactly." Goose shook its head. "But it just seems like the right answer."

"Well, it is," Cakey told it.

"Wait." That was Bear holding up a paw. "Cakey, does this mean you remember us? Our real names?"

Cakey sighed before closing his eyes and nodding his head.

"Tell us!" Rabbit bounced. "Tell us!"

"I can't," Cakey did not open his eyes. "If you knew, if you remembered, you might let it slip to Sakura. And it's _really_ important that she figure it out for herself. She has to realize it on her own without help from us."

"But why?" Cat wanted to know.

Cakey looked up and met Cat's eyes with his own golden ones. "Just like there's a spell on Sakura's Key, there's a spell on Sakura, too. But she's the only one who can break it. If she doesn't find her own way of understanding, she'll never be able to break either spell, and we'll never be restored."

"Poor Sakura." Rabbit sniffled. Alligator, beside Rabbit, made a suspicious noise deep in its throat that sounded almost sad.

"She doesn't even know she's under a spell, does she?" Penguin asked.

Cakey shook his head. "No. And it's a much more troublesome spell than the one on the Key. But no one will be able to do anything about us or the Key unless Sakura breaks the spell on herself first."

"So how do we help?" Goose asked.

"First of all, I think we need to see if we can find this friend of Sakura's who should be in the woods. It's been long enough that she'll start to worry if we don't find him soon. And if Sakura is worried about her friend, she won't be able to break the spells."

"But we can't leave her alone," Cat said. "She could be in danger."

"I think we have to risk it," Cakey said. "I don't want us separating to go looking, either. But she'll be safer here and we can move faster by ourselves."

"We could tell her to wait in the tree," Bear suggested. "The tree will protect her better than we can."

Cakey gave a heavy nod and his voice was sad. "That's true."

Cat patted Cakey's shoulder. "Don't worry. Someday I'm sure we'll be able to protect her properly."

"We will." Cakey's head came up and his eyes blazed. "We'll get strong again and we'll definitely keep Sakura safe. For now, though, we'll have to count on our tree."

"But what happens after we find this friend?" Rabbit asked.

"I'll talk to him," Cakey said. "He might know how to break the spell on Sakura better than me, and he might be able to help her do it, too."

"Why?" Alligator rumbled. "What makes some human boy better than us?"

"That." Cakey pointed.

Sakura had emerged from the roots of the cherry tree and was staring into the distance, her arms full of rushes but clearly they had been forgotten. There was a longing sorrow in her expression, and even across the clearing her friends could see the hope and fear in her eyes.

"Sakura cares about us," Goose said softly, "but her heart is with her friend."

"And that's what will help her the most," Cat added.

"Okay." Cakey took to the air. "Let's get going."

Sakura was startled from her thoughts by the approach of her friends. She remembered that her arms were full of wilted bedding. "Oh! I'm sorry! I was just…"

"It's okay," Rabbit said. "We didn't mean to surprise you, either!"

"Sakura." Cakey fluttered to face her. "We need to go into the woods for a while today. Will you please stay in the tree while we're gone?"

At Sakura's expression, Cat rubbed against her ankle. "We're just worried about you. We want you to be safe."

"Can't I come with you?"

It was Goose who said, "We can move through the trees faster than you can. We promise to be back before nightfall. Is that all right?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes. Is there something I can do to help while you're gone?"

Cat suddenly tugged at Sakura's skirt. "I have an idea. Come with me, please!"

The pair left the others wondering while Cat led the way towards the firepit. While Sakura set her drying brush aside to serve as kindling later and carefully banked up the fire with coals and ashes so it would be protected and would not spread, Cat explained its idea. Sakura agreed and took just a few minutes to seek out exactly the right stones to serve as her tools for her secret surprise.

"Okay," Sakura said, returning to the tree with two stones wrapped carefully in her skirts. "I'll stay inside the tree while you're gone. Be safe!" She bent down to hug each of her friends goodbye.

"And you stay in the tree, Sakura," Cakey said. "You'll be safe there."

"I will."

While her friends headed out into the woods on whatever journey had seized them so suddenly, Sakura climbed down beneath the cherry tree to the clear space in the roots. It was still full daylight, so she didn't need the magic of the tree to light the area for her.

"Cakey will be so surprised! Cat's idea is perfect!"

With a cheerful heart, Sakura picked through the little stores of food the eight of them had gathered in the last few days until she had all the acorns and similar nuts. Most of them had not yet been shelled, so Sakura carefully broke open each nut and picked the meat from the hard outside. When she had a nice pile of nuts ready, then she unwrapped the stones Cat had helped her find.

One was flattish, with a sort of indent that made it resemble a rather coarse saucer or plate. The other was oblong and blunt at one end, narrow enough around for her to grip. With this makeshift mortar and pestle, then, Sakura began carefully grinding the nuts into powder.

It was an incredibly exhausting and labor-intensive process. The nuts tended to roll or shatter, and it took many strikes and a long time grating the rocks together with the nut pieces in between before she could get even a pinch of powder. But Sakura persevered, focusing on her task.

"I don't have any flour," she said as she carefully poured a few palm-fulls of the powder to bowl she had made by lashing a large leaf between a few springy roots, "but this should be close enough. They may not be quite right, but I'm sure Cakey will appreciate even one pancake!"

Hours passed. Eventually even Sakura could not go on without a break; her hands were raw and sore and her shoulders hurt from the tension of the work. She carefully saved every grain of her nut powder and covered her leaf bowl with another leaf to keep her powder from being blown away in a breeze.

Sakura peered at her hands.

"I know I said I wouldn't leave the tree, but I'm thirsty and I need to wash. I'm sure they won't mind if I only go to the brook. I won't even lose sight of the tree."

When Sakura climbed out of the nest of roots below the cherry tree, she was surprised how much time she had been working. There were still nuts to crack and she did not yet have enough flour for pancakes for Cakey, but the sky had gone a vibrant yellow as dusk crept nearer, the clouds orange and pink high above. Beneath the long shadow of the cherry tree, Sakura shivered.

"The water will be cold, but it will probably feel good after all that work!"

Sakura hummed cheerfully to herself as she set across the clearing to the narrow strip of woods that divided the cherry tree's domain from the river. Even before she reached the first of the trees, she could see the water shining like a golden ribbon before her.

"How pretty!"

But Sakura paused at the edge of the river, looking downstream. She couldn't tell from here which way the water flowed, if it headed towards the castle or farther away - Sakura had never been quite sure, after waking up under the pine tree surrounded by Cakey and the others, which way would have led her home. She had asked Cakey, but even when he flew above the treetops, he always said he couldn't quite see the castle she described and didn't know which way to look to find it.

Or from which direction Syaoran might come someday.

"Syaoran." Sakura folded her hands and held them against her heart. "Please be okay. And Father and Big Brother and Yukito and everyone else, too. Please be okay."

Sakura raised her head to look into the brightly lit sky. "I'm not giving up. I'm sure you'll keep your promise and find me. I'll never give up."

And yet…

A tear trickled down Sakura's cheek, warm in the slight chill of the approaching evening.

"But it's just like at the castle. The only thing I can do is wait. Syaoran might be hurt. Or lost. And I don't have any way of helping. Somehow...being cheerful doesn't seem to be enough…"

Sakura rarely let her happy demeanor slip around her friends, but standing at the edge of the river alone made her feel suddenly quite small and helpless. It was a feeling that had haunted her every day after the arrival of Madoushi; even though she had been entrusted with the Key of Clow, there had been nothing at all she could do other than remain cheerful to help her father or Syaoran or Touya or Yukito or anyone else.

And if Sakura was honest with herself, that smallness had begun even earlier than Madoushi, for Sakura had always known - could not remember a time she had not known - that she was not powerful enough to help her people. She didn't have Touya's amazing magic, or the potent power of her mother. She had always been just Sakura.

And now, when magic might have helped so much, it was a lonely, sad feeling indeed.

Sakura wrapped her arms around herself as a few more tears fell. She wished for Syaoran more than ever, for he was the only one who seemed to understand how awful it was to feel powerless, how sad it made her that she could not help her family. He had never needed her to be more than what she could be, even when they had been children together. He had never thought she was less than Touya - although that could have been because he and Touya never got along no matter how long Syaoran had lived in the Kingdom of Clow.

Since the first year of Madoushi's reign, Syaoran was the only one Sakura allowed to see her cry. And she missed him so terribly now.

But after a moment or two of sorrow, Sakura shook herself. "Nothing comes from crying," she told herself shakily. "Syaoran is counting on me. Everyone is counting on me. I won't give up."

She shook her head as though to banish the dark feelings that crowded at the edge of her heart. When she looked up again, the sky had shifted in color again to a vibrant, fiery hue with clouds painted brilliantly.

"They'll be back soon. I have to hurry."

She knelt beside the river. The water rushed happily along, though it was neither terribly fast nor deep. In fact, Sakura knew she could cross the river almost by walking, though it was far easier to move from rock to rock and didn't wet her so much. Farther downstream, the river widened out into a larger waterway, wide enough to need a boat to cross, and it rushed much faster as other streams poured into it. But here the water was tranquil.

Sakura splashed some water on her hands and arms, rubbing dirt and sweat from her skin. Then she cupped some water in her hands to drink before pouring a bit over her face as well.

It was when she blinked her eyes through the last drips of the cold water that she saw them.

"Birds?"

Sakura felt certain she should remember them. They were so pretty. A pair of white songbirds looping gracefully through the air, almost dancing. They began to draw near to her.

Sakura wondered if they would let her touch them. They looked so soft.

She never felt the water rush over her shoes as she stepped into the river.

In a daze, her eyes unblinking, Sakura followed the birds as they led her out into the river. The water pulled at her skirt and came up higher than her knees, but she never looked away from them nor seemed aware of anything besides them. They flew so mesmerizingly, always hauntingly just out of reach.

If Sakura had been aware of anything but the birds, she might have also felt the warm, golden glow of the Key. But even that could not wake her from the birds' power.

She never felt when one of the birds ducked behind her to snip her sash from around her waist.

She never noticed when the sash, held between the pair of birds, coiled around her outstretched wrists.

The birds beckoned and the water grew deeper and deeper and Sakura felt herself led into darkness.

-==OOO==-

Cakey floated dejectedly back towards the cherry tree. "So much for that," he said grumpily.

"Don't give up," Cat said. "We'll look again tomorrow."

"For how long?" Alligator wanted to know. "What if the boy never comes? What if he breaks his promise?"

"He won't," Goose said. "Sakura believes in him and we should too."

Rabbit paused, then surged ahead of the others into the clearing. "Speaking of Sakura… Hello Sakura! We're back!"

Bear moved forward more cautiously. "Sakura?"

It was not like Sakura to fail to answer. The seven little creatures exchanged worried glances and then raced towards the tree calling for Sakura.

Cakey, because he could fly, was the quickest, though Rabbit and Cat were right behind him on the ground below. Cakey ducked into the tree long enough to see that it was empty.

"She's gone! Quick! Find her!"

-==OOO==-

It was dark. Cool. Tranquil. Sakura felt as though she were asleep, though something was amiss.

 _Water is a thing that flows._

The voice was gentle, yet stern.

 _Water is a thing that must flow._

The words felt warm and safe and Sakura slipped into them, vanishing between them like a dream into clouds.

-==OOO==-

"I found her!" came a thin cry. The seven little creatures had spread out in a panic through the forest calling for Sakura and searching frantically. It seemed like it had been forever, but the sun had not even yet set when Goose's voice echoed through the quiet trees.

After a moment, Goose added, "Hurry! She's in trouble!"

Everyone raced at their best speed towards Goose, particularly Cakey, who flew as though made of wind and light himself, all the while muttering.

"It's my fault. I'm her Guardian. I should have protected her. I'm coming, Sakura!"

They converged at the edge of the shore far downstream from their tree. At first, no one could see what Goose saw. Goose had taken to the river and was circling urgently in the center of the expanse of water.

And then a cloud shifted and a bit of the last daylight illuminated a shadowy form below.

Penguin, the best swimmer, dove into the water. It surfaced with a gasp.

"It's Sakura! Her eyes are closed and I don't think she's breathing! Her feet are all tangled in weeds and her hands are tied in her sash!"

"Cut her loose!" Cakey shouted.

Penguin dove again, but surfaced only moments later. "I can't! I can't get near!"

Cakey flew out over the water and, gathering his energy and strength, threw himself into the river. The current was strong, but as Penguin joined him and helped him navigate, he could see that water alone wasn't what kept them from reaching Sakura. He returned to the surface and leaped back into the air.

"It's magic! Something is trying to keep us from helping her!"

Goose looked up at Cakey. "I think we can do it if we all work together."

"Come on!" Cakey waved at the others. Alligator gamely took to the water, but Bear and Rabbit and Cat paused.

"We're not really good at swimming," Rabbit said.

Cakey bellowed at them, "I don't care! Try! Or Sakura will die!"

Cat looked shocked by that, but nodded and led the other two out into the frigid waves. It was true that Rabbit was clearly not made for swimming and eventually had to cling to Alligator to keep moving in the right direction. It took them several long minutes to reach the center of the river.

Cakey ducked low to them. "All together now. You four," he gestured to Alligator, Penguin, Bear, and Rabbit, "try to get to Sakura's side. I think the magic will break if you all try it together. I'll go and get her feet out as soon as the barrier is gone. Then Cat and Goose can start pulling her to the shore and the rest of you can help. Okay?" Let's go!

Cakey was certain he had not been so frightened in a long, long time as he was diving into that cold, unforgiving water. He could sense the barrier keeping him from reaching Sakura, so he made sure to focus on getting low, almost into the mud of the riverbed, while he waited for the others.

On one side, Penguin helped Rabbit get under the water and dove expertly. Rabbit clung to Penguin as they fought to get close to Sakura. On the other side, Alligator charged through the water with Bear holding onto its tail. Cat and Goose hovered worriedly above, Goose bobbing downward to watch their efforts.

When the four little creatures reached the barrier surrounding Sakura, Cakey could feel it buck and struggle, but finally it gave way under their combined presences. He did not waste an instant, diving instead for Sakura's feet and plowing through the weeds and craggy sunken branches that were tangled around her legs.

As he did so, he saw the Key was glowing. Cakey only hoped that meant what he prayed it did.

Suddenly Sakura was adrift and began to move with the current. But Alligator and Penguin latched onto her outstretched arms and started to pull her towards the surface. Bear and Rabbit could only hang on, but Cakey got a firm grip on the back of Sakura's dress and added his strength.

A moment later, Sakura's head broke into air.

"Hurry!" Cat cried before latching its teeth onto the ribbon around Sakura's wrists and starting to paddle for shore. Goose did the same, and Cakey took to the air where he could hold Sakura's dress and keep her head and mouth from falling back into the water. Bear and Rabbit hung onto Sakura while Penguin and Alligator pushed her unmoving body from underwater.

It was a long way to shore, and Cakey's fear only grew when he realized Sakura's eyes had fallen shut and she was not breathing. That fear doubled when he spotted a pair of birds with red eyes watching them from above - birds Cakey knew all too well.

They dragged her up onto the embankment, all seven of them whimpering and sniffling as grief began to take hold. But Cakey had not yet lost hope.

"Cat!" he said, swooping low. "You and Alligator unravel that ribbon!"

"How will that help?" Bear asked, voice heavy with misery. "She's not breathing."

"Trust me!"

Cat and Alligator were willing to try anything, so they bent to Sakura's bound wrists, the slick cold of her skin making them cringe as they pulled at the sash.

"Rabbit, get right next to Sakura's throat and think about breathing!"

Rabbit did as asked, begging Sakura to take a breath between hiccuping sobs.

Then Cakey fluttered to land on Sakura's chest. He looked at the Key still glowing sluggishly. He closed his eyes and whispered something so low even Goose who was leaning against Sakura's cheek practically beside him could not hear.

"One more miracle, Clow. Please."

And Cakey took the Key in his paws and remembered his true name, his true form, with all his power.

At first, nothing happened.

Then, as Cat and Alligator pulled the sash free and Sakura's limp arms flopped to the grass, Cakey felt the slightest pulse of warmth from the Key.

"Come on, Sakura!" he whispered fiercely with tears in his eyes. "You're stronger than this curse. I know you are!"

The Key pulsed again.

Rabbit was still nuzzled close to Sakura's throat, and Alligator and Cat had been rubbing urgently on one of her hands each, but the others suddenly wanted to be near, too. Goose ducked its head against Sakura's temple. Bear put its little hands on Sakura's pale arm. Penguin huddled against her side.

"Come on, Sakura!" Cakey begged again. "Don't give up!"

And then Cakey heard - not with this ears, but inside his soul - an achingly familiar voice. _Water is a thing that must flow_.

Cakey ducked his head and pressed it against Sakura's forehead. "We all love you, Sakura. We'll stay with you if you wake up. None of us will be alone anymore if you wake up."

When the other six glowed very, very slightly, they didn't notice, so intent were they on Sakura - but Cakey did.

The Key pulsed warmly.

And Sakura's eyes blinked open.

Her friends all cried out in relief and joy, helping her to sit up while she coughed and relearned how to breathe, cuddling against her and babbling almost nonsensically. And Sakura wound her arms around as many as she could as she began to cry.

But Cakey watched the pair of red-eyed white birds fly away and knew that this was only the beginning.


	7. Chapter 7

And just when everything seemed like it couldn't get worse...

Enjoy!

* * *

Syaoran knew he was dreaming.

There was a feeling to dreams, particularly those that were created not in his heart or his mind, but by his magic. Syaoran had not inherited his mother's gifts at fortune-telling, but he had enough power to experience foretelling dreams sometimes. There was a heaviness to them that made them distinct, a lucid sort of reality that was almost too real.

But even knowing it was a dream, Syaoran couldn't help but shout in fear, "Sakura!"

Before him, Sakura hung suspended in a dark, empty place. Her eyes were wide open and vacant, the dark pupils entirely swallowed up in green. Her body was wrapped tightly in long streamers of an eerie, pale color. They did not seem to come from anywhere in particular - rather, they were everywhere. They floated in broad, undulating arcs around Sakura's still form, darting forward like serpents to coil around her unresisting body.

Even as Syaoran watched, the streamers doubled in number and in viciousness, squeezing Sakura until Syaoran could see her skin bruising and swelling where it was visible between the ribbons. They wrapped and wrapped around her like the swathing on a corpse, and just as unforgivingly.

"Sakura!" Syaoran cried. But he could not move, could not prevent them. Could not save her.

The streamers began to change color, an inky darkness sliding over them like a stain. Sakura's bound form began to vanish into the blackness of the void.

"Sakura! _Sakura_!"

And then Syaoran's dream changed into a memory. He found himself looking at his much younger self standing in the small sacred chamber on the second level of the tower once used by the High Priestess Nadeshiko.

"Stand still, please," came Nadeshiko's voice.

The young Syaoran had not been fidgeting, but at the request he snapped rigidly into place at attention in the center of the floor. This chamber had only a few magical sigils around it, as it was meant mostly for scrying rather than more powerful workings.

The High Priestess moved to the top of the simple circle she had drawn on the floor in chalk and spread her arms.

"Reveal the fate of one who stands before me."

Syaoran watched as the room filled with a soft light. He remembered being unable to interpret the powers that had flowed around him, but now as he looked on them with older, more experienced eyes, he could see some of what must have been readily apparent to Kinomoto Nadeshiko. Written in his own magical signature was more than one omen of strife, but also a great deal of power and ability.

Almost as quickly as it had begun, the light vanished and High Priestess Nadeshiko dropped her arms.

"Li Syaoran," she said, taking two steps towards him and settling on one knee before him so they would be of near equal height, "while you have a great capacity for magic, you will probably not be the one who will inherit the powers of Clow Reed. The future is not set, but I don't want you to be disappointed."

Young Syaoran pinched his lips together and nodded.

"However."

This Syaoran remembered well. He felt his heart stir anew at the words that had been spoken to him so long ago.

"You have a critical part to play in breaking the Seal and thus restoring the Kingdom of Clow. But in order to discover what that part is, you must first make me a promise. And it is not a promise you can make lightly. You must give me your word on all your honor and your magic."

Young Syaoran stared at the High Priestess for a moment before asking, "What is the promise?"

"You must swear to protect and watch over the first person to touch you from the moment you leave this tower with me."

"For how long?" Syaoran wanted to know.

"Until Clow Reed's true inheritor is revealed."

Young Syaoran considered carefully before nodding. "All right. I promise in the name of my honor and magic to protect the first person to touch me outside the tower until Clow Reed's inheritor is revealed."

The High Priestess smiled. "Thank you. For as long as you keep to that promise, I know that you will see the Seal broken. And, if it eases your heart, you will find joy on this journey as well, though it will not always be easy."

The memory within the dream began to dissolve. But even as Syaoran lost track of his younger self standing in the tower, he found himself peering into Kinomoto Nadeshiko's eyes, so very like Sakura's. Words trickled to him like drops of water carried on that musical voice.

 _All Seals can be broken with time, courage, and love. And where power and force of will fail, love will succeed. But remember..._

Syaoran had to strain to catch the words as they vanished into darkness.

 _The darkest curse comes not from an enemy, but from within. And it is this curse that needs the light of love most of all._

Syaoran's eyes snapped open. He sat up cautiously, already glancing to the sky. The position of the sun above showed that it was nearing nightfall. Something told Syaoran that it was not another day, but the same in which he had cast his magic to bind his sword to himself.

But something else told Syaoran that there was danger nearby.

Suddenly, he spotted the pair of birds that served as Madoushi's heralds in the sky above. Syaoran pressed his back to the tree that had sheltered him in his rest and tensed, ready to cast a protective circle around himself if it were necessary; but he held off for fear the use of magic would draw their attention. The birds were winging back towards the castle at speed.

When they had passed, Syaoran rose and looked into the sky after them.

"They wouldn't be going back unless they had finished their mission. And they wouldn't be here unless Madoushi was free of that book. And if she's free and she sent her birds all the way out here…"

Syaoran spun in place so that he was facing the direction from which the birds had come.

"Sakura!"

He charged into the undergrowth with dread in his heart.

-==OOO==-

The feeling that struck Yue was so strong he very nearly faltered in mid-air, only his inhuman reflexes keeping him from being thrown off-balance.

"What is it?" Touya demanded, barely sparing the Moon Guardian a glance; he was too focused on keeping his eyes on the road.

 _Don't tell him_ , came Yukito's voice urgently in Yue's mind. _It will only upset him._

 _He's already upset_ , Yue returned.

 _Then be vague. Say anything other than telling him that we had a vision of Sakura dead! Do not tell him!_

 _She isn't dead_ , Yue thought firmly. _She only looked dead._

 _Touya doesn't need to know that much right now. Or have you forgotten how to be vague?_

Yue knew he was being teased by his other self, but he still thought with a wash of irritation, _Of course not. I learned that art at the feet of Clow Reed himself as you well know._

 _Then use it!_

Yue turned to Touya and chose his words carefully. "I experienced a vision of...tragedy. But I believe the risk has passed." Before Touya could react, Yue added, "And I thought, for a moment, I sensed the presence of Clow Reed."

That revelation was enough to startle Touya into ignoring the first part of Yue's words. "How is that possible?"

It was Mizuki Kaho who answered. "If there were some form of power lending strength to those creations that were of Clow Reed, you might experience an echo of his spirit."

Touya frowned at her. "Is that how you knew when and where to find us at the castle? You could sense Clow Reed when I gave my powers to Yue?"

"Yes."

Yue ducked closer to her. "Can you sense Clow Reed now?"

She shook her head. "No. The power has been cut off once more."

Yukito noticed it within Yue and wondered loudly until Yue gave in and asked on his behalf, "Why does that trouble you so?" Yue might not have cared for the crestfallen expression on the strange woman's face, but Yukito was far more soft-hearted than Yue had ever been.

Kaho's voice was low. "Because such little power will never break the Seal. And if the Seal fails to break soon, there may be no hope left."

Touya growled. "We should turn around. Go back."

"We would never reach them in time," Kaho said. "We can only go forward. And, while there is nothing we can do for this, there may be something the Prince of the White Jade Throne can offer. We must reach him quickly."

"If he's so powerful," Yue's tone dripped with disdain, "why does he not come to meet us and save us the time?"

Kaho shook her head. "He cannot. We will have enough trouble crossing the border as it is."

"But you're here," Touya pointed out.

"Someone might have ensured such was possible," Kaho said vaguely.

Touya sighed. "Mother. I wish I had known."

"If it eases your heart," Kaho said, "I believe she wished she could have told you. But she had faith in you, and in the others."

"Then I will try to deserve it." Touya leaned low over his horse's neck. "I know you are tired, but please go on as fast as you can. There is no more time to waste!"

They thundered northward.

-==OOO==-

Even working together, it took the seven little creatures until well after dark to get Sakura all the way back to the clearing and their cherry tree. Cakey managed to support most of her weight, but the others were too small to do much other than clear the way for Sakura's stumbling steps. They were obliged to stop several times to curl around Sakura, who could not stop shivering with cold; her dress was still wet from the river.

Sakura went where she was bade and accepted the help her friends offered, but she said nothing the whole way.

When they at last reached the tree, Cakey sent the friends out in several directions. He helped Sakura into her bed, while Alligator and Cat darted to the firepit to revive some ashes and heat some stones - these they could pack into the nest around Sakura to warm her. Bear and Rabbit ran into the woods to find more ferns and big leaves, anything they could pile up around her in place of proper blankets. Penguin and Goose settled in on top of Sakura to try to give her their little body-heat in the meantime.

And Cakey rested his tiny paws on the knot of roots that hung above their little space, the heart of the tree.

"King of the Forest, please hear me. I know what dwells within you. I know what you have done for this forest, how you have protected and nourished it. Please, if you have any power to spare, please help Sakura. She is cold and hurt and evil magic has been done to her tonight. Please lend her your strength."

The warm tree glowed more brightly than usual, and the tendrils of roots that formed Sakura's bed positively shone with golden light.

As the others returned, Cakey tucked the heated rocks and the additional bedding around Sakura. Each of the little creatures found a place to settle in on top of her, forming a patchwork blanket themselves.

"Sakura?" Cakey asked, tucked so close to her face he couldn't quite see her.

The response, when it came, was slow and lifeless. "What is it?"

"Are you hurt anywhere, Sakura?" Cakey asked. "Is that why you're so quiet?" He feared something else altogether, but he dared not ask it.

"No. I'm fine."

But the clipped, despondent tone was more alarming than if she had answered that she was injured. "Oh Sakura." He nuzzled her.

It was Cat who crawled up close enough to pat Sakura's cheek. "Don't give up, Sakura. You're going to be all right."

She did not answer.

Goose, curled up nearby, asked gently, "Why are you so sad, Sakura?"

Cakey felt the first splash of a tear land on his head.

"Because...you asked me to stay here in the tree...and I didn't. And...those birds tricked me! I feel so foolish!" And Sakura began to cry bitterly.

"It's not your fault!" Alligator snarled. "It's those stupid birds. They did this, not you!"

"We're not upset with you," Rabbit offered.

Penguin patted Sakura's hand. "We're just glad you're okay."

"We could never be upset with you for something like this," Bear said.

"It always happens this way!" Sakura sobbed. "I can't help anyone! Everyone always has to protect me, even when it hurts them! It's my fault! Everything that happened is my fault!"

Cakey froze. Carefully, as though his words could break glass, he asked, "How could everything be your fault, Sakura?"

Sakura's voice was pierced with anguish. "Because I don't have any magic to help anyone!"

The other six little creatures murmured softly, encouragingly, petting and cuddling. But Cakey was quiet for a few minutes.

Finally, he asked, "Sakura. Why don't you think you have any magic?"

That surprised Sakura enough that she stopped crying and blinked at him through watery eyes. She sat up slightly to peer at him. "Because I don't."

Cakey shook his head. "You have some magic, Sakura. You must, or the tree wouldn't light up for you."

Sakura sighed. "Well, I have a little. But nothing like Mother or Big Brother or even Syaoran. Not enough to matter."

Cakey was trying to come up with what to say next, but Cat beat him to it. "Sakura, I don't know anything about magic, but I know about you. I'm sure whatever you have, no matter how big, would make a difference. I'm sure if you tried to do your best, something would come of it."

"That's why I've always tried to stay cheerful," Sakura admitted. "Because I couldn't protect us or hide us from Madoushi, but I could keep Father and Big Brother smiling."

"That's a kind of magic, too, Sakura," Goose said softly. "It doesn't have spells, but it's magic all the same. Love is always magic. Sometimes it's even stronger magic."

Cakey looked at Goose in surprise and saw Goose's black eyes shining with deep, mysterious shadows. His heart swelled with hope.

Sakura closed her eyes and settled back into the bed. "If that were enough to make a difference, it would have by now."

Cakey could almost feel the despair rolling off her. He had never been good at saying the right things carefully, but now he hoped he could do it this one time with all his might.

"Sakura. I know you don't have the power of your Big Brother or your Mother or your friend. But even a small light can be seen in the darkness. Just because you don't think you're as powerful as them doesn't mean you're not powerful at all."

"But it's not worth anything if I can't do anything about it," Sakura whispered.

Cakey touched her cheek very softly. "It's worth something to me and to all of us. And if you stop being so afraid of it, I think you would find you can do something after all. More than you realize."

Cat purred at Sakura for a moment. "Remember, love and magic are not that different. And you have a lot of love, Sakura. Maybe that would be enough."

"And we love you," Rabbit said. The others echoed the feeling even as sleep began to claim them all after their exhausting day.

"I love you, too. And I'm sorry. But thank you all." Sakura let the warmth of the tree and her friends carry her away into oblivion, even as her tears dried on her cheeks.

But when only Cakey remained awake, when all six of the little creatures and Sakura were deeply asleep, he sat up and perched on Sakura's chest where he could stare at the Key.

"You don't lack magic, Sakura. And you don't lack courage, either. You lack faith in yourself. And that is making all the difference." He reached out and touched the Key.

It shivered for a moment before it began to glow merrily.

"I understand now. I'll do whatever I can to help you, Sakura. I promise."

-==OOO==-

Sakura knew she was dreaming, though she had never known a dream quite like this before.

She felt as though she were flying high in the air, looking down at the castle where she had lived for so long. Even in the dream, Sakura flinched as she flew over the garden where her mother had died. But there was nothing shadowy or scary about the garden now. Instead, it was lovely and vibrant as it had been before the time of Madoushi.

Sakura suddenly saw herself running about on the grass with her friends as a much younger child. She could see Syaoran, as young as when he had first come to the castle, standing to the side. She could see Touya and Yukito lounging under a tree nearby, talking to her father.

And she could see her mother.

"Mother!" Sakura cried out.

She yearned to drop lower, to see her mother more closely. But instead, the dream lifted Nadeshiko to Sakura, the High Priestess levitating into the air as easily as a butterfly.

Sakura's eyes filled with tears. "Mother…"

"Don't be frightened," Nadeshiko said softly. "There is something I want you to see."

Suddenly the scene grew dark. But Sakura was beside her mother and could not be afraid in her presence, so she looked up at the sky. To one side, the sun was setting low in the west. To the other, the full moon was rising in the east. And above, the first stars of the night were beginning to emerge from the sky. The garden below - the very world below - fell away.

"The Sun and the Moon can both hide the power of the Stars," Nadeshiko said softly. "They shine much brighter on the earth. But unlike how light cannot exist without dark, the stars still shine in the dark. And even if a bright moon or a bright sun hide the stars, they are always present above us. Their light shines on its own whether or not anyone can see it."

"I don't understand, Mother." Sakura turned to her.

"And the stars are with us always, even if the moon is hidden, even if the sun has set. The stars guide us through the dark to the light. Remember it, Sakura. When you are lost, trust the Stars to guide you and put your faith in their power."

Sakura felt a wind rise and reached out even as the Sun and Moon faded. "Mother! Don't leave me!"

Nadeshiko smiled at her daughter and drew her into her arms for a moment. "I love you, Sakura. Do your best. And I am sure that you will understand. I am sure that…"

The wind blew harder and Nadeshiko vanished. Sakura was left alone in the dark.

"Mother! Come back!"

Another voice answered her in the starry void.

 _Water is a thing that must flow._

Several of the stars from above soared down to surround Sakura. As she watched, six stars danced and spun around her, only for each to break apart into many more pieces and continue spinning and dancing.

The familiar voice spoke again, reminding Sakura of her father, but not quite. _Let the water flow, young one. Just as time must flow. Just as truth must flow._

"I don't understand!"

 _Listen to your heart. It, too, must flow freely. For when all things flow forward correctly, the light can be reborn anew._

The spinning points of light winked out and Sakura dropped from the dream into the void of sleep.

-==OOO==-

Madoushi sensed the return of her birds long before they reached the castle. It was deep into the night, most of the way towards the false dawn, when they alighted on her outstretched hands in her ruined room.

"Show me," Madoushi commanded.

The birds vanished into a whirl of water which Madoushi breathed in deeply.

Through the eyes that were her spies, Madoushi saw their memories of locating the girl with the Key deep in the forest. She saw them enchant and bewitch her, dragging her into the river.

"Good! Now, where is the Key?"

But the memories continued, showing that as the birds had waited for the stubborn girl's life to run out in their deadly spell, a series of little shapes had appeared. Madoushi was stunned to realize that she could not perceive them clearly. They looked like some sort of small forest creatures, but she could not make out their bodies. They were hazy to her sight.

"What power is this?"

The little shapes dove into the water and broke the spell the birds had cast, pulling the girl to the surface and reviving her. Madoushi could not see precisely what they had done, but when the girl sat up, coughing and breathing, the Key still securely around her neck, she knew it mattered not. They had undone the magic of her birds and had saved the girl's life.

"Curse that girl! Where does such power come from? How could she have enchanted guardians so easily?"

Madoushi opened her mouth and her birds flew out. As one, they tipped their heads questioningly.

"No. I will go myself. You will lead me to her."

Madoushi stepped from her window into the air, her power billowing around her as she once again transformed into a storm.

"I know my powers will be bound if I cross that priestess's barrier, but even if they are limited, I will still have enough strength to find that girl. And once I find her and acquire her Key, I will have enough magic to dispel this barrier once and for all and no power will stand against me ever again!"

Madoushi launched herself against the barrier that was Kinomoto Nadeshiko's legacy. She screamed as it tore at her, pulling her magic from her and reducing her from a vibrant storm to only a small stream of water. When Madoushi had crossed the barrier entirely, she reformed not into her imposing, imperial human form, but rather a bent and withered old woman wrapped only in a tattered cloak.

But Madoushi did not rage at the indignified transformation.

"You have failed, priestess! In this form, while most of my powers are kept from me, that child will not know me until it is too late! Even if I have to kill her with these bare, mortal hands, she will die and her powers and her Key will restore me!"

Madoushi's birds appeared in the air before her and began to wing slowly into the forest. The disguised queen set after them with a fiery anger that burned in her heart.

"I have foreseen the child's weakness. By the next sunset, I will have her life and her power and everything of Clow's will be mine for all time!"

-==OOO==-

Far below and moving in the opposite direction, Kinomoto Fujitaka was not aware of the false queen's evil plans. He was far more focused on his own task.

"Stay together," he advised. "The path here is difficult, but I'm sure we can make it."

Beside him, Daidoji Tomoyo shivered. "I'm just grateful to be away from the castle. I was so frightened!"

Fujitaka smiled kindly at the girl who had once been Sakura's closest friend. It was her aid that had allowed him to find as many innocent people in the castle willing to flee with him in the night.

Fujitaka had come upon the girl staring out a window with sorrow in her eyes; Tomoyo had explained that she had been forbidden to leave the castle and go visit her mother by the guards who did not wish to unbar the gates with the queen in such a rage. She had even attempted to escape in the middle of the night, only to be threatened to be taken directly to the queen for punishment before she had been left locked in an anteroom - one Fujitaka had happened to open while looking for others whom he could rescue.

It had taken some careful probing, but Fujitaka had determined that Tomoyo, for all her youth, was remarkably clear-headed about the evil and maliciousness of Madoushi. When Fujitaka had suggested he had a way of helping her, Tomoyo had begged him to let her bring others who shared their own doubts along.

And so it was that Fujitaka was leading a small company of refugees from the castle, men and women and children of all stations, from guards and cooks to the children of nobility like Tomoyo. To his private interest, the majority of those who had joined him in this journey were those whom he would have counted his own friends, or friends of his children or Nadeshiko, either before the coming of Madoushi or since. In fact, there were no strangers to him at all amongst the group, even if they were unknown to one another.

Fujitaka wondered if this was the doing of Nadeshiko, and prayed with deep gratitude for her help.

Suddenly, Tomoyo stopped.

"Are you all right?" Fujitaka broke from his thoughts to face the pale girl.

Tomoyo gave another shiver, but this one seemed neither from cold, nor fear. Then she peered at Fujitaka with grey, blinking eyes. "Do you know a girl with brown hair and green eyes?"

Fujitaka paused. "There is a servant girl like that," he said carefully. "But no one else."

Tomoyo put a hand to her forehead. "I...I know I met her in the gardens once but...I feel as though I have dreamed of her. But I don't know how that is possible because I am not asleep."

Fujitaka patted her shoulder. "I am certain you will understand if you simply allow yourself to see the truth."

Tomoyo nodded. "Yes. Thank you. I will continue now. But...tell me. Do you know that girl well?"

"Yes. " Fujitaka nodded. "I know her very well."

"Is she...okay?"

Fujitaka swallowed. "I hope so."

But his fears had grown. If Madoushi's spell preventing the people of the Kingdom of Clow from recalling himself and his family was weakening, it could mean that there would be others who would remember himself or Sakura or Touya for what they really were. There might be others, those loyal to Madoushi, who might seek them out.

On the other hand, Fujitaka considered, if the curse was weakening, did that mean Madoushi's time was coming to an end? And if so, what could that mean? Who would defeat her? And how?

But first, Fujitaka had to lead his people through Nadeshiko's secret tunnel. At the end of this, only then could he decide how best to serve his kingdom and protect his family from whatever was beginning to occur.

-==OOO==-

Unbeknownst to either Fujitaka or Madoushi herself, every person still left in the castle when Madoushi forced her way through the barrier of the High Priestess fell victim to the same paralyzing curse that had been Madoushi's punishment to her own people.

Servants, guards, and nobles, from every station and every part of the castle dropped where they stood and did not rise.

And the barrier, once fully breached, closed and locked the castle within itself.

For Kinomoto Nadeshiko's curse and barrier was not only meant to weaken Madoushi - it was a last defense for the people whose will had been entirely overcome. Now that the queen was gone and her influence waning, they would not wake until the danger had passed.

And if Madoushi returned victorious, they would not wake at all.

-==OOO==-

The light of dawn had just reached the very tops of the trees, making them glow like torches sprung from the very forest floor, when Kaho called a halt. The flagging pair of horses, sweaty and breathing heavily, dropped into a walk with heads hanging low.

But Touya was not so relieved. "Where are we?" he demanded.

"We have just reached the edge of the Kingdom of Clow," Kaho replied, her voice serene in spite of her own exhaustion.

Yue frowned. "The palace of the White Jade Throne lies north another day or more along the road we abandoned hours ago. Why did you bring us here instead?"

"Because the Prince of the White Jade Throne isn't at the palace," Kaho replied. "He is here, at a small estate right on the edge of his lands."

"I don't see anything," Touya said.

"That," Kaho dismounted, "is the problem of the border."

Touya and Yue exchanged glances and Touya dismounted from his horse as well. Yue settled in beside Touya and crossed his arms, waiting.

Kaho started to walk, leading her horse off the small road - now more a path than a road - they had been following into the forest proper. "You couldn't know, but ever since the coming of Madoushi, no one has crossed the border in or out of the Kingdom of Clow besides myself."

"How is that possible?" Yue asked, walking beside Touya. "You are the one who told us that High Priestess Nadeshiko created a barrier to contain Madoushi at the castle."

"It was not Madoushi's doing. The Emperor is the one who gave the order."

"Why?" Touya's frustration was growing, and Yue's own suspicion was not helping him maintain his composure. He almost wished Yue would switch with Yukito so he would have the calm and polite reserve of his companion to ground and reassure him for all this, but he knew that Yue would never leave him unprotected in the presence of any unknown person with so much magic.

Kaho did not stop walking as she explained. "The Emperor was warned of Madoushi's coming. Though the people of Clow would do their best to contain and defeat her, he knew it would be many years before Madoushi's threat could be eliminated entirely. Because he could not risk having such a dangerous foe unguarded, particularly on a border which has long been peaceful and thus undefended, he commanded his greatest sorcerer to create a magical shield that would keep Madoushi from entering his own lands."

"And what about the lands to the other side of Clow?" Touya asked. "Why were those borders also closed?"

"The sorcerer who cast the spell shared the Emperor's concern of Madoushi's threat, but was not bound by the same treaties that prevent the Emperor from interfering in the affairs of other kingdoms. The Emperor could not do anything about any border other than his own, but the sorcerer he tasked with the working was not under any such obligation. That person instead decided to cast a spell around the whole of the Kingdom of Clow to prevent anything, magical or mundane, from passing in or out of it for as long as Madoushi was a threat."

Yue bristled. "Another powerful magician who did nothing to help the Kingdom of Clow when we were in danger. I am sure Clow Reed would be displeased if he knew how many false friends now surround his people."

Kaho did pause at that, though she did not turn. "Your anger is justified. And it does no good for me to remind you that some things must happen in a certain way for the best outcome to be realized, for you will not believe me. And perhaps you should not. But those who you believe have forsaken you are now those most ready to help you."

"And why should we trust them?" Yue returned with cold fury.

But Touya held up a hand. He was trying not to dwell on the same pain and betrayal Yue shared, trying to think as his father would in his position. If Yue was going to carry the righteous and justified anger of the kingdom, Touya would have to be the steward of its reason and patience. Not a role he enjoyed, true, but one he could counterfeit if needed.

Besides, Touya had a far more worrying question. "And what will be the cost of this help?"

Kaho turned her head enough for a slight smile to be illuminated in the growing dawn light. "A promise, and an act of mercy."

Before Touya or Yue could question her, Kaho pointed deeper into the forest. "There. That is the border, and we must now concentrate on crossing it with all our power."

Touya squinted, then shook his head. "I don't see anything."

"I do," Yue peered into the darkness of the forest. "It is...a reflection. A mirror."

"Yes," Kaho said. "Were you to stumble into it unknowingly, you would wander in a seemingly unending woods for a time, and then find yourself turned around and back where you had begun. Any mortal or even a person of magic who approaches the border will be magically redirected in an unending loop, unable to cross it."

"Then how did you get here?" Touya asked.

"With this."

From the small bag Kaho had carried at her hip, she drew an oddly-shaped item. It was golden and rounded like a crescent moon with a handle connecting the two curved parts into a half-circle. On the broad, flat part of the crescent shape was an intricate design, and one both Touya and Yue recognized.

"That is Clow's own signature!" Yue's fingers twitched - he would not have admitted it even to Yukito had he any ability to prevent his other self from knowing, but he longed to touch the sigil of their creator.

"Yes," Kaho said. "It was entrusted to the Prince of the White Jade Throne long ago."

Touya's eyes narrowed. "How will any power of Clow Reed's help break the magic of one of the Emperor's sorcerers?"

"It will not. But it will summon the one who can." Kaho raised the bell. "Now, stand quite close to me."

Yue moved alongside Touya, but kept the young man on his other side, away from the mysterious woman. He pressed as close to Kaho as he could without actually touching her, eyeing the bell in her hand. Touya, on his other side, squeezed the reins of his horse, but otherwise made no outward sign of his own apprehension.

Kaho rang the bell with a flick of her wrist. The sound was a loud crash far beyond what such a small item could have produced without magic. It echoed in the woods like the shattering of marble and glass and metal, bouncing through the air strangely.

Yue felt the very ground beneath him warming and instinctively spread one of his wings to shelter Touya.

Kaho sounded the bell a second time. Now, the very air seemed to shiver, like disturbed water in a pond.

"It can't be," Yue whispered. Touya looked at him in surprise; he had never in all his life heard the Moon Guardian so unsettled, so unsure of himself. Touya wondered what he could see, what he himself would have seen had he not surrendered his magic to help Yue.

Kaho rang the bell a third time.

And the very forest around them seemed to bend. Space itself warped and changed until it resembled a mirror cast in the shape of a tunnel. To either side and behind the small group, the trees continued on forever, though their forms were increasingly distorted as they drew closer to the magical border.

Now a clear passageway emerged, the forest to either side parting along a grassy lane that was rather out of place. The sun had risen enough to clearly illuminate the forest - and the stately manor house just beyond the border.

Touya realized what had caught Yue's attention at once.

For just at the place where the border's magic was distorted stood a figure draped in white, black, and blue. He was young, or at least he appeared to be of a similar age to Sakura and Syaoran. But behind his spectacles, there was a face Touya knew from the many hangings and murals throughout the Kingdom of Clow.

But how could Clow Reed be here in the body of a boy?

"Greetings," came a voice that was too low and serene for a boy. "I am Hiiragizawa Eriol, Prince of the White Jade Throne. Please be welcome in my domain."

-==OOO==-

It was dawn and Syaoran had not slept all night. But though he yearned to keep moving forward, to make more progress, he was worried about his ability to continue.

"Apparently draining my energy twice in the same week is not wise," he muttered to himself.

After almost falling into a river, Syaoran gave an aggrieved sigh and found a small hollow between the roots of some river trees.

"Only for an hour or two," he said to himself as a promise. "Then there won't be any more time to waste."

He was asleep almost at once.

-==OOO==-

To Yue's great shame and annoyance, he had absolutely no memory of any time between the revelation of one who bore a tantalizing, almost painfully acute resemblance to Clow Reed and finding himself snugly tucked in Yukito's mind while his other self settled around a long table for refreshments with that same haunting person as well as Touya and Kaho.

 _Are you back with us yet, my other self?_ Yukito asked, both amused and concerned.

 _When did you switch?_

 _When it became apparent to me that you would do nothing but stare at Prince Hiiragizawa until the world froze over_ , came the wry reply. _Don't worry. I don't think anyone noticed your mouth hanging open and Touya wouldn't say so even if he did_. Yukito shared brief images of rushed greetings and the quick work to get the horses settled in well-appointed stables.

 _You are not as funny as you believe yourself to be, my own._

 _And you're in a rare mood, Yue. Does the sight of one so like Clow Reed trouble you that much?_

Yue didn't answer, directly; he did not need to - Yukito could feel the answer clearly enough. _I'm not sure if I should be offended that it troubles you so little. And here I accused you of having a more human heart than I._

Yukito's thoughts were quiet for a moment before he answered, _Perhaps you are more correct than we realized. After all, humans can learn to accept loss and move on. I think it may be only one like yourself who cannot grow and change in spite of centuries of time._

 _Be careful, Yukito. You're starting to sound like you are not as dense as I know you to be._

Yukito did not have time to come up with a rejoinder, as his attention was pulled back to the situation at hand. Prince Hiiragizawa Eriol of the White Jade Throne had taken a seat on a high-backed, red-cushioned chair at the head of the table, Mizuki Kaho settling easily into a place of honor to his left. Touya had been offered the chair directly across from her and Yukito had taken the seat on Touya's right.

"I know time is no friend to us," the Prince said gravely, "but weakness and exhaustion are also no friends. Please, eat and restore yourselves for the difficulty to come."

Touya inclined his head. "Thank you, Prince Hiiragizawa. I would like to offer an apology for my father, Kinomoto Fujitaka, that he did not come to you himself."

The Prince inclined his head. "I thank you, but it is not necessary. Clearly, the place of the Steward is with his people in such a delicate moment. I am not insulted. Rather, I am quite pleased to have both of you in his stead. This will simplify things."

Yue was grateful that Yukito had switched them after all - it meant he could stare at the Prince as much as he wished without having to concern himself with schooling the expression on his face. Yue knew his focused attention was distracting for Yukito, but he could not help it. The boy looked so very much like Clow.

Yukito coughed delicately. "Prince Hiiragizawa, if I may inquire…"

The Prince smiled a lazy, knowing smile that was all too familiar. "I imagine the Guardian within you is in some confusion. Would it help for me to explain?"

But Yukito was always polite. "Only if it pleases you, your Highness."

"I assure you, it does. Now, I ask that you forget all that you know or think you know of me, for most of it is rumor or misdirection. What I will tell you is knowledge you may not share without my express permission - indeed, you will find it impossible to speak of save to those I have deemed worthy." His grey eyes flashed for a moment.

 _He is very powerful_ , Yue thought at Yukito. _He can cast magic by will alone_.

 _Clow Reed could do that as well_ , Yukito remembered. _But he rarely troubled himself with it._

 _That marks the only difference between them that I have yet seen_ , Yue thought.

"Yes," the Prince said after a moment. "I am aware of the resemblance you cannot help but notice in me, and the reason for it is quite simple. I remind you strongly of Clow Reed because we are of the same blood. Clow Reed was my formidable elder brother."

Yue reacted before Yukito could prevent him. He switched places with Yukito in a flash of furious silver light, arriving standing beside the table, wings fully extended, and proceeded to slam his palms down on the table's surface with a loud crash. "Impossible!"

 _Please don't start an international incident_ , Yukito thought with some annoyance at him. Beside him, Touya's expression said much the same. But Yue was only truly watching the Prince.

"Is it so impossible, Yue?"

"Of _course_ it is! We lived with Clow for centuries! If he had had a brother, we would have known!"

The Prince leaned back in his chair, a smug expression on his face. "Unless Clow himself did not want you to be aware of my existence. As was his choice."

" _Why_?"

The Prince folded his hands and peered over his glasses at Yue in a posture so familiar it tore a cold pang in his heart. "Yue, your loyalty to Clow has always been profound and unquestionable. However, when he died, if you had known about me, would you truly have carried out his will?"

Yue froze.

The Prince leaned forward very slowly. "Would you have cherished the kingdom my brother left behind? Nourished its people? Defended its magic? Would you have sought his true heir and inheritor? Or would you instead have journeyed here to beg or demand that I become your new master, that I break the Seal myself and take up my brother's office?"

 _He's right_ , Yukito whispered in Yue's mind. _We would have_.

"I am not my brother, Yue. What the Kingdom of Clow has always needed is the inheritor of Clow's own powers and will, and I am not that person. Had you known of me, that knowledge might have delayed you in seeking your true master, and that delay would have been disastrous."

Yue closed his eyes. The truth of the Prince's words hurt, and he could not deny them.

"If it is any comfort, Yue," the Prince's voice had gone quite soft, "I miss him, too. We were born many, many years apart, but he was my brother and we were closely connected in ways only you and your other half can imagine."

Yue knew what he had lost when he had lost Clow Reed. He shuddered to imagine losing Yukito, that steady, completely understanding presence in his mind. Without Yukito, Yue would have been profoundly alone.

 _But you aren't. I'm here._

Yue held onto that certainty and opened his eyes. "Very well." Then, after a moment, "I apologize for my rudeness."

The Prince smiled. "It was to be expected."

Touya took a breath and spoke. "If it's not too much to presume, are you the sorcerer who cast the barrier around our kingdom to keep Madoushi in and prevent her from attacking other lands?"

At that, the Prince's eyebrows rose and he nodded. "An impressive deduction. Yes, I am."

"My father's knowledge of you was a bit sparse," Touya continued, "but if you are truly the brother of Clow Reed, then it would follow that you are the same Prince of the White Jade Throne that has always been here, going all the way back to when Yue told me Clow used to visit here."

The Prince's approval was obvious. "Correct. Even without your magic, you are rather sharp, Kinomoto Touya. You do your father great honor."

Touya accepted the praise coolly. "I won't ask you why you didn't help us before. I have already had that discussion." His eyes flicked to Kaho who smiled demurely. "The only thing that matters now is what we can do to help our future."

The Prince nodded. "Though, if you wish to argue about the past, I invite a spirited debate with you later. I imagine it would be great fun."

 _Tell Touya to watch out if he does_ , Yukito thought at Yue. _If he argues anything like Clow did, Touya will put his fist through a wall in sheer frustration._

 _You tell him yourself. I seem to recall you have other things to tell him_ , Yue returned, regaining his inner equilibrium.

 _I do?_

 _Sometimes I cannot believe you are half of me. You are honestly more dense than Keroberos!_

"To the matter at hand," the Prince said. "Once you have eaten and restored your energy, we will have to set out at once."

"I thought you couldn't enter the kingdom," Touya said.

The Prince took a delicate sip of tea from the exquisite cup before him. "It is difficult, yes. And once I do cross the border that I put in place, there will be no hiding my magical signature from Madoushi. She will, I am certain, be rather interested in a source of power so like Clow Reed's own. She will pursue me with all her energy."

"You must be far stronger than she. You could easily defeat her," Yue said.

"While true, that is also irrelevant at the moment."

"Why?" Touya asked.

"Because Madoushi will not be undone by mere force alone. The only way to defeat her and undo the last of her curse upon the kingdom is for her to be vanquished by a stronger power than that which spawned her in the first place."

"So will you enter the kingdom?" Yue asked.

"As I said. We will finish our meal and prepare ourselves, and then I will join you."

"What will make that any different from going right now, or a year ago?" Touya's voice was dropping and even Yue could feel the concern growing in a storm around him.

"Because by the time we leave, Madoushi will be entirely focused elsewhere. She will not be interested in us even when we arrive in support of her defeat. The one who will overcome her should be occupying all her attention."

"Who is that, the one able to defeat Madoushi?" Yue asked.

"The one who can break the Seal on the Key, of course."

Touya gripped the edge of the table until his fingers shook and his knuckles went white. " _No_."

The Prince turned his sharp eyes on Touya. When he spoke, his words were low and commanding.

" _You_ can raise no objection. Even I, who can see far into the many futures that await us all, do not know for certain if she will succeed, or even if she will _survive_. The danger is great. But I tell you this, _Kinomoto Touya_ , that if the person in whom Clow Reed and I have placed our faith proves unworthy to this task, it will not be her fault alone. For _we_ are not the ones who burdened Kinomoto Sakura with an _additional_ Seal to break, and one far more insidious than Clow's on the Key.

"That fault lies squarely with _you_ , son of High Priestess Nadeshiko. And if that Seal prevents her from realizing her own destiny, you will deserve whatever grief awaits you as a consequence."

The Prince pushed back from the table and rose, his cold, accusing gaze pinning Touya and Yue in place.

"Your good intentions do not make up for the harm you have done. Now we will learn if your Seal is more potent than the heart and soul of one who should have been stronger, one who rightly bears the Key. However, if it is, I am certain there is nothing I could do to you that would be worse than what you will suffer if she fails."


	8. Chapter 8

Next week is the final chapter. It's a long one, but I couldn't bear to break it up. In the meantime, some things are starting to come together for Sakura...though maybe not in the way she imagined.

Thank you all so much for your wonderful interest and support!

Enjoy!

* * *

Cakey woke with such violent suddenness he launched himself into the air like a bird startled from its tree. "Something's coming!"

His voice was low enough that it did not wake Sakura, but the other six of his small family blinked their eyes open at him.

"What do you mean?" Cat asked quietly, watching Sakura's face for any sign of distress.

"I can sense it. There is magic nearby!"

Alligator's long snout curled with anger. "Is it that evil queen?"

Cakey crossed his little arms and tried to put words to the feeling inside. "I don't...I don't know. I can't really tell."

Goose's head came up and tipped sideways. "You've never sensed magic before."

"Sure I have. I just didn't know that's what I was doing. You're all magical, just like this tree and Sakura. That's how I found everyone."

"We are?" Rabbit might have bounced except for the certainty that even Sakura might not sleep through it.

Cakey sighed. "You still don't remember? This is going to make everything a lot harder."

"What do we do?" Bear asked. "Should we go out and see what the magic is? Or should we hide here?"

At that, Cakey sighed again. "I don't really know. If it's Sakura's friend, we should find him. But if it's that queen…"

"We have to protect Sakura," Penguin's usually laughing expression was somber. "That's the most important thing. We have to be ready to fight."

"I can't believe I agree with you," Alligator grumbled.

Cat held up a paw. "Is the magic getting closer?"

Cakey considered. "No. I thought it was, but now it's going in another direction."

"Then I suggest we wait until it does get closer. The tree might very well hide us all from whatever is out there, but maybe when it is nearby you'll be able to tell if it's the queen. And if it doesn't get closer at all, we can always follow it later to see if it's Sakura's friend."

The others all nodded at Cat's idea.

Cakey settled on a thick root that made up one of the sides of Sakura's little nest, facing the others. "There's something you need to know about the spell on Sakura. Something important."

"What is it?" Goose asked.

"It's tied into her feelings. Every time Sakura is scared, it gets stronger. So if it is the queen out there, we have to help Sakura be brave. We've got to do anything we can to help her break the spell."

"What if she can't?" Rabbit asked.

Cakey closed his eyes. "It will be very dangerous for her. And all of us, too."

"Can we tell her that she's under a spell?" Penguin wanted to know.

"I'm not sure. It might make it easier for her, but it might make it harder, too."

"Then we shouldn't unless we can't help it," Bear said with a nod. "We just have to believe she can figure it out on her own."

"She can. I'm sure she can." Cat nuzzled the girl fondly.

"Me too," Cakey said. "I know we're all worried about what's out there, but I think we should stay put for now. We need to stay close to Sakura to protect her, and I don't want her to wake up by herself, either."

The seven settled down, but none slept. Their thoughts were all on whatever stranger might be out in their forest nearby – and what that might mean for the girl they had come to love.

-==OOO==-

Syaoran woke with a gasp, sitting up in surprise. For a moment, he wasn't sure what had roused him. Out of habit, he looked upwards. The sun was well up, but it was not yet close to midday. Relief washed through him – he felt much better, and he was ready to continue his journey to find Sakura.

And then a touch of magic in the air reached him. He could feel it – it could not be too far away. He could not read the magic well enough to know if it was Sakura or her Key or something else entirely, but it was worth investigating!

Syaoran set off at a run, letting his senses guide him and paying little attention to his surroundings as he went.

He never noticed what he left behind in the little hollow, nor the figure that had been watching.

-==OOO==-

A wrinkled, withered hand lifted the slip of power that had fallen from the boy's pocket. "Take it. Use it. She will have no choice. And she will be mine."

-==OOO==-

Her friends did not have the heart to wake Sakura, rightly thinking she needed all the rest she could get after her harrowing ordeal the day before. Still, when her eyes blinked open in the late morning, they were relieved to see her smile first.

"Good morning," she said. "Thank you for keeping me company. Did you all watch over me all night?"

"Of course we did!" Cakey fluttered close to her. "We're friends, aren't we?"

"We know you would take care of us if we needed you," Cat said.

"Yes, I would." She sat up, petting each of her friends in turn as they shifted around to keep from pinning her to the bed.

"Do you feel all right?" Goose wanted to know.

Sakura nodded. "Yes. I feel fine. Almost...better than usual, but that doesn't make sense."

"It might," Cakey said slowly. "We asked the tree to heal you. Maybe it did something."

Sakura patted the nearest root, too. "Thank you, tree."

She had just climbed out of her little bed and was straightening her dress when she froze. Cakey, hanging in the air beside her, also froze – and his eyes widened in fear.

"What...is that?" Sakura asked after a moment. "That feeling…?"

Cakey landed on her shoulder. "You can sense it?"

"I guess so. I feel something...that way? Like cold or a shadow somehow?"

Cakey nodded. "So do I."

"What is it?" Rabbit asked.

Cakey glanced at Sakura. "I think...it's the same birds I saw yesterday."

"Birds?" Sakura frowned. When she spoke, her words came slowly as though through the haze of memory. "I think...I remember birds. They were white...with red eyes. They were...strange."

Cakey nodded. "They're magical. They come from that evil queen." Then, more to himself, "And it's not the first time either of us have seen them."

"What does this mean?" Alligator stamped a foot. "The queen is here?"

"No," Cakey shook his head. "But she's close by."

"And she knows we're here," Bear added.

"Maybe."

Sakura turned to the opening through which sunlight drifted brightly. "Then we have to go."

"No!" That was Penguin, interposing itself. "You can't fight them!"

"I know," Sakura looked at her feet. "But I don't want them to hurt the tree, either…"

Goose leaned against Sakura's leg. "You have to trust yourself, Sakura. There might not be anything you can do about them, but maybe there is something you haven't thought of yet."

"And we're with you," Cat said. "Don't forget that. You're not alone."

"Sakura." Cakey's voice was low and serious. "You have to decide. Whatever you choose, we will be with you. If you want to go out there, we'll go with you. We'll help you as much as we can. But if you want to stay here, we'll stay with you and protect you from here, too."

Sakura drew in a deep, shaky breath. "Why is it up to me?"

Cakey pointed. "Because you have the Key, Sakura. Clow's Key. You're the one who has to decide how to protect it."

Sakura closed her eyes and held the Key tightly in her hands. It felt warm under her touch – just a little, but enough that she noticed. "I'm scared," she whispered. "But I have to try."

"Okay," Cakey said. "Then we'll go with you."

And the seven little creatures led Sakura from their retreat. They formed up around her like a little plush brigade, Cakey hovering in the air at her side. Sakura kept the Key clasped between her hands, taking small steps forward, her eyes fixed on the pair of white birds that fluttered at the edge of the clearing.

When she was close to them, she called, "What do you want?"

In response, the birds plucked something from the nearest branch and dropped it.

Sakura was darting forward before even Cakey could stop her, her hands opening to catch it before it reached the ground.

"What is it?" Cakey asked, stopping in mid-air between Sakura and the birds and never taking his eyes off them.

Sakura gulped against a sudden urge to cry and answered in a shaky whisper, "It's Syaoran's. It's one of his magic spells." She ran her fingers over the ofuda, imagined Syaoran's hand holding it, his neat writing covering the spell.

"Why do they have something like that?" Rabbit asked.

Sakura looked up at the birds, and she tried to keep her voice even. "Take me to him."

"No, Sakura!" Cakey spun to her. "It's a trap! It has to be!"

She nodded. "I know. But if they have this, then they have Syaoran. And I can't leave him alone with the queen. I can't."

"But Sakura…" Goose ruffled its feathers and shifted its wings.

She closed her eyes and held the ofuda to her heart. "Syaoran has always protected me. He's always been with me when I was in trouble. Even if I can't do anything, even if I don't have any way to help, I can't leave him there. He's...important. He's really important to me."

Cat looked up at Cakey. "I think we have to try."

Cakey considered Cat for a moment, then Sakura. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Okay. I understand."

Sakura looked up and took a step towards the birds. "I'm ready. Please lead me to him."

The birds turned in the air and began to move into the forest. They flew high and swiftly, but not so quickly that Sakura lost sight of them as she raced along behind them. Cakey flew ahead of her, still maintaining his place between the person he had promised to protect and the birds who clearly meant her harm. The others kept up well; their time in the forest had made them nimble and they had good reason to push themselves to new speeds.

Several minutes after they had vanished from the clearing, Syaoran stumbled into the sunlight, drawn by the power of the cherry tree.

-==OOO==-

Touya and Yukito were alone – Yue having retreated to let his human half eat the food provided after the Prince had quit the room following his pronouncement, and Touya had not spoken a word since that instant – but they looked up when Prince Hiiragizawa reentered the room some minutes later. He wore a traveling cloak over his robes now, and beside him, Mizuki Kaho looked grave.

"It is time. We must go at once."

-==OOO==-

Sakura followed the birds through the forest, focused on keeping from tripping on the roots and undergrowth – which also prevented her from thinking too much about what might be waiting for her. Any thoughts she spared in the process of watching the birds and her feet were of Syaoran.

 _Please wait for me, Syaoran. I'm coming. I'll help you, I promise._

As she ran, however, she also became increasingly aware of a growing unease that clung to her heart, like a cold breeze out of nowhere on the warm spring morning. Sakura could not guess how she could be so certain, but she knew she was getting closer to Madoushi.

The birds swooped under a branch and Sakura burst into the sunlight.

"You have come."

Sakura was brought to a sudden halt by Cakey who had caught her arm and kept her from crashing forward. The others gathered around her feet, putting themselves between Sakura and the old woman who waited for her on a broad, rocky outcropping overlooking the river below.

Sakura frowned. "Who are you?"

The birds landed one on each bony shoulder, and the hunched woman's eyes burned with hate. Her face was twisted in a sinister scowl and her arms extended in her tattered cape.

"I am she who should have received that which was Clow's. I am she that _will_ have everything of his. Everything!"

"Sakura," Cakey whispered. "Is it the queen?"

"Yes…" Sakura said, but she hesitated a moment. "But she doesn't seem the same."

"It was that priestess!" Madoushi shouted. "She cursed me!"

Cakey's eyes widened. "Some of her power is gone. She isn't as dangerous, but she's still dangerous enough. You have to be careful, Sakura."

"I will." Sakura took a step forward. "Where is Syaoran?"

The withered Madoushi smiled. "Do you care for the boy?"

"Where is he? Is he hurt?" Sakura took another step, fear clutching at her.

"Give me the Key that was Clow's. And give me your powers. Only then will I tell you."

"Sakura," Cakey said warningly.

Sakura held the Key before her. "I can't give you this. I promised."

"Even for the boy? Would you see him die to protect something that you do not even _deserve_?"

The words struck Sakura with a new sort of pain. She looked at the Key in her hands.

Madoushi pressed on. "You have some _small_ power, child, but you cannot be worthy of that Key. The more you try to protect it, the more harm you will bring to someone precious to you. Give it to me and you may leave with the person who risked his life to save you."

Sakura fought the lump that tried to crawl up her throat. "I...I promised…"

"You cannot be expected to handle a power of that magnitude. Surrender it and you may keep something far more important to you."

The Key had grown cold in Sakura's grip. "I'm...I'm not worthy to protect the Key?"

It was Cat who ducked to Sakura's foot and actually nipped at her ankle. "Don't you believe it, Sakura!"

Sakura was so surprised, she dropped both the Key and the ofuda – Cakey swept to grab the ofuda from the air, and the Key bounced against her chest at the end of its cord.

"Cat's right!" Goose nudged her. "You've protected the Key so well! We all believe in you! Don't let her confuse you, Sakura!"

Sakura shook her head to clear it. "Where is Syaoran?" she called again, though her voice had lost some strength.

Madoushi scowled. "I will give you nothing unless you give me that Key!"

Sakura glanced at her friends. "What should I do? I have to protect the Key, but…"

"You have to trust your heart," Cakey said. "We trust you. Whatever you choose, if it comes from you, it'll be okay, Sakura."

Sakura closed her eyes. When she opened them, her tears were standing in her eyes but her voice did not shake. "I don't think Clow Reed would want anyone to get hurt even to protect something he loved. If you let Syaoran go, I'll give you the Key."

Madoushi smiled and held out her hands. "Give me the Key first and you may have him."

Sakura began to move towards her.

" _Don't!_ "

She froze only a few paces from Madoushi and turned.

From the forest nearby, Syaoran emerged running furiously. "Sakura! Get away!"

"Syaoran!" Sakura tore her eyes from him to turn back to Madoushi. "You lied!"

"Give me the Key!" Madoushi lunged for Sakura.

Syaoran cried out, but he was too far away to reach her in time.

Cakey, however, was not. "I won't let you!"

The little creature darted through the air between them. He threw the ofuda he had been holding into Madoushi's clawing hands and it burst into flame.

"Come on!" Cakey grabbed Sakura's wrist and pulled her back towards the woods.

"Sakura! Are you hurt?" Syaoran skidded to her side, latching onto her other hand and squeezing it tightly.

"No, I'm all right." She blinked, still trying to grasp all that had happened in only a few seconds. "Syaoran! You're here!"

"And we need to be somewhere else, fast!" Cakey shouted. "Come on! That fire won't hold for long!"

"The tree!" Cat was already herding the others back into the forest. "We need to get to the tree!"

Sakura held Syaoran's hand as they ran, her heart pounding in her chest. But after only a few running strides into the trees, Madoushi shrieking behind them, she turned to where Cakey had not left her side.

"How did you do that? How did you make it catch fire?" she asked.

It was Syaoran who answered. "Because he's the Sun Guardian, Keroberos."

-==OOO==-

Prince Hiiragizawa led Touya and Yukito along with Kaho to a small door that let out into the gardens behind the manor house. Once there, he directed them to stand precisely in the center of a stone patio.

"I suggest you remain in your current form," he said to Yukito. "This will be more distressing for Yue if he perceives it without the distance of your disguise."

Yukito nodded, swallowing a little in trepidation.

Beside him, Touya linked an arm with his and leaned close. "Make sure you both stay alert."

Yukito could only blink at him, while inside his mind, Yue was sighing. _Of course we shall._

When Touya did not release Yukito's arm, Yukito made to pull away, only for Touya to hold him even more tightly, though he did not take his eyes from the Prince.

Yukito's confusion reached Yue, who made the mental equivalent of a snort. _If we survive this, my own, I'm going to tell you what you have failed to realize and enjoy it._

"The Key which hides the power of the Dark."

Prince Hiiragizawa held one hand outstretched, a small Key spinning above it. Kaho stood just behind his left shoulder, and Yukito and Touya were arranged to one side of him.

Yukito felt the sharp awareness and pain that went through Yue at the familiar incantation, and offered him what silent solace he could.

"Reveal your true form before me. I, Eriol, command you under our contract. Release."

The Key expanded and grew into a long wand much taller than the Prince himself, crowned by the same Sun and Moon crest so familiar to those from the Kingdom of Clow, though it was slightly offset from the one that had been Clow Reed's – more like a mirror image than an exact duplicate.

Prince Hiiragizawa lifted the staff as a magic circle very like Clow Reed's own – and yet slightly different, too – spread beneath their feet. When the circle began to levitate the group into the air, the stone falling away and yet the magic itself as strong and solid as the patio had been, the only indication of anyone's discomfort was the slight tightening of Touya's grip on Yukito.

"I realize this is a disconcerting way to travel," the Prince said, "but please endure it. Any other method would not be fast enough to reach our destination in time."

The magic circle hovered just at the edge of what they recognized as the border between the Prince's lands and the Kingdom of Clow. The Prince swung his staff so that it pointed directly at the barrier and it glowed a dark red color. The very air seemed to ripple and another passageway appeared.

Though it took only moments for the magic circle to carry them through it, even Touya, stripped of magic by his sacrifice to Yue, could feel a painful tearing as the protective spells tried to prevent them. But the Prince was unruffled and did not flinch at the sensation, guiding them through his own creation with unflappable calm.

When they had penetrated the barrier, the Prince shifted his staff to point in a new direction. "We will go that way. We cannot go as fast as I could travel alone or I may lose one of you along the way, but it will be much more efficient than walking or riding."

A few minutes later, as the trees passed below at an alarming rate, the Prince spoke again. "You have a question for me, Kinomoto Touya."

Beside Yukito, Touya stiffened. "It's about Sakura."

"Yes."

"I didn't hurt her. I didn't curse her."

"Didn't you?" The Prince raised an eyebrow. "No, you did not do to her what Madoushi did to your people, but the result of your actions is quite similar, isn't it?"

Yukito was getting tired of not understanding the Prince dire hints, so he asked, rather more politely than Yue would have, "What about Sakura, Touya? What does he mean?"

Touya closed his eyes and his voice went low and uncertain. "Do you remember the first time Mother tested Sakura when she was just a baby?"

Yukito nodded. He had been there, actually, as himself alongside Keroberos in his own disguise form. "She said Sakura had some magic, but that it was not as powerful as yours."

Touya nodded too. "I...I was only seven years old. I made a mistake. I saw how you and Keroberos were watching me, waiting to see if I would become your new master. And...I didn't want anyone to look at Sakura like that. I didn't want anyone to think she was anything but just little Sakura. I wanted her to be safe."

"An error made in love is still an error," the Prince said. "It is forgivable, but it can still create great evil."

"What happened?" Yukito asked as quietly as he could.

"I...I made a wish. I wished that no one would ever see her potential as any more than it was right then when she was a baby. Not that she wouldn't _have_ any magic of her own, but that...no one would _recognize_ it. And it worked. Even you never thought she had much power."

"Unfortunately," Prince Hiiragizawa's voice was even, but cold, "this had two different unintended consequences. The first was that those who could have helped her overcome your curse were bound by it as well. Your mother was eventually able to guess at what must have happened when she compared what her senses told her with what her gift of foresight said was to come. But by then, it was too late for her to undo what you had done.

"Similarly, Yue and Keroberos should have been aware of her as a possible candidate for the Key of Clow, but because of your selfishness, they never suspected her at all.

"And the second," his voice went icier, "was that your curse acted upon Sakura herself, and far more insidiously. For not only did it mean that Sakura was unaware of her own magical potential, but she failed to recognize _any_ potential of her own. The person who both Clow and I believed would release the Seal on his Key has lived a lifetime believing she has nothing to offer, not only magically, but overall. She lived under Madoushi's rule, but far more harmful was living under a belief that the only thing of value she could offer anyone was a false attempt to remain cheerful."

Touya hung his head.

"But...she…" Yukito began. But he did not know how to finish, and Yue was stunned to silence within.

The Prince continued, "If it were not for the son of the Li Clan who has come here, all might have been lost. But no curse and no Seal can truly defeat the simple power of love, and he is rather a good sorcerer in his own right as well. He does not know exactly what Sakura harbors inside, but he knows there must be something – his own heart tells him such. And his faith in her has helped her find some courage of her own. However."

The Prince let out a breath. "If Sakura cannot find the will to believe in herself, she will not be able to break either Seal, that laid on her unwittingly or the one on the Key. And if she cannot break the Seals, then she will be easy prey for Madoushi – and with her, so too will be destroyed the last hope for all of Clow's creations."

"Then...it all comes down to Sakura's courage?" Yukito asked.

"No." Kaho spoke for the first time. "I do not believe so. I believe it comes down to Sakura's love."

-==OOO==-

Sakura could only run between Syaoran and Cakey with wide eyes and too many questions to ask. At her feet, the other six little creatures were similarly shocked into silence. But once they reached the cherry tree and dove down into the protective embrace of its roots, then Sakura spun to Cakey.

"Is it true? Are you really Keroberos?"

Her winged friend actually blushed. "Yes. Or, I was a long time ago."

Sakura frowned. "I don't remember you. I know I met Keroberos. I lived with him. But you…"

"You remember Yue, right?" Keroberos asked. At Sakura's nod, he added, "But do you remember what he really looks like?"

Sakura started to nod, then paused. "Not...exactly."

Keroberos crossed his little arms. "Your brother protected you from Madoushi's curse, but it wasn't perfect. You knew we existed and you remembered things about us, but forgot some of the details. Just like I forgot everything about myself and all of them, but I remembered you when I saw you."

"But you remember now?" Sakura asked.

Keroberos nodded. "The Key helped me. And you, Sakura. The more I've been with you, the more I've remembered. But that's all. I don't have most of my true powers back yet."

"You would, though," Syaoran spoke slowly, "if the Seal on the Key could be broken."

"And not just me," Keroberos said. "We would all have our powers back." He looked to the six little creatures with whom he had spent so much time wondering. "Do you still not know who and what you truly are?"

Cat and Goose exchanged glances. "We are starting to have some idea."

Keroberos smiled. "I'm glad."

Sakura held the Key in her hands and felt a tear slipping down her cheek. But a second had not even emerged before Syaoran was at her side, gripping her shoulders.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt after all?"

"No." She shook her head. "No...but...it's all my fault. I couldn't do anything!" She began to cry and, as Syaoran opened his arms to her, she rested her head on his shoulder. "You had to protect me and I was so scared...and now Madoushi is here and I still can't do anything! And if this is Keroberos, if Madoushi realizes it, he'll get hurt. Everyone is in danger – even the cherry tree! And I have the Key, but…"

"Don't cry," Syaoran said – and he did not say it gently, but bracingly. It reached through the haze of Sakura's confused feelings and she brought her head up in surprise. "Sakura. I...I think I am starting to understand what is going on here. There was something your mother said to me once…"

"My Mother did?"

"Yes. And I think...I think there _is_ something you can do about the Key. I think there _is_ something you can do about Madoushi, something you can do to protect everyone. But…" He trailed off and looked up at where Keroberos floated near Sakura's shoulder.

"I know." The disguised Sun Guardian nodded. "I see it, too. I told the others that Sakura is under a spell. And we have to break it. But...I haven't figured out how yet."

Sakura blinked. "I'm...under a spell?"

"Yes. And I think it makes all the difference." Syaoran took a half-step back so he could look into her eyes. "But...and I don't know if it will make it easier on you, but...I…"

He felt his face heat and knew he was turning rather red, but there was no help for it. Sakura had not embarrassed him by pointing out his ready use of her name, for which he was grateful, but he needed her to understand what it meant. What he meant.

To understand how much he loved her.

"Syaoran?"

"Sakura...I want to tell you that...I…"

That moment of hesitation cost him dearly, for before he could finish his words, the cherry tree above them rocked with a violent explosion. Syaoran curled his arms around Sakura and ducked as some roots came loose and fell around them.

"Come out!" roared Madoushi. "Come out and face me!"

Keroberos darted to touch the cherry tree and pulled back as though burned. "She's sucking energy out of the forest! It's making her a lot stronger again! If she starts pulling magic out of this tree, she'll be almost as bad as she was before!"

Sakura clung to Syaoran's arms around her. "What should we do?"

Syaoran glanced to her, then to Keroberos, and made a decision. "I'm going to try to fight her."

"You can't!" Sakura tightened her grip. "She'll…"

"She's weak right now," Syaoran replied. "Weaker than she'll ever be again. I have to try."

"But…"

Syaoran waited until Sakura's face was upturned and he met her eyes. "Whatever happens, Sakura. I'm glad I came here. I'm glad I got to meet you. In spite of everything that's happened, I would not wish for anything else. I would rather have known you and be here today, no matter how it ends."

"Syaoran…"

Syaoran leaned close and whispered in Sakura's ear, "I believe in you. I'm sure that if you can face the fears in your heart, you will find a way to save us all. I believe in you more than anyone."

And before Sakura could say another word, he released her and sped out of the tree. The instant his feet hit the grass, Syaoran pressed the palms of his hands together and reached for the magic he had newly made. It came to him easily, as effortlessly as it ever had from the pendant, and he drew his jian from the center of his left hand.

"You are not the one with the power of Clow," Madoushi was halfway into the clearing, and the grass beneath her and the trees and plants in her wake were all turning brown and dying while her body began to grow young again and the wind began to sing around her. "Stand aside and your death will be quick."

"I won't," Syaoran said, setting his feet and brandishing the sword. "I'll fight you with everything I have."

Behind him, Sakura crouched in the cradling roots of the tree, still sheltered but perched partway up the passageway so she could see outside.

"Stay down, Sakura!" Keroberos said, flying to her side and sitting on her head. "You'll be safer if you are completely under the tree."

"I know that," she said, "but I can't leave Syaoran."

Keroberos thought about that for a moment. Then he dropped to stand on a root across from Sakura's face. "Maybe you don't have to."

"You said before that I'm under a spell. And Syaoran said he thought I could help. But I don't know how. Please." She turned her big eyes on him. "Please tell me how!"

Keroberos closed his eyes. "We've only been together for a few days, but between the Key and you, Sakura, I remember more than I ever did. And I don't have my powers back, but there are some things that have returned to me, like how I used fire and how I can sense things."

He opened his eyes and met her gaze. "What the Key has been telling me all this time, and what my heart has been telling me, is that you do have magic, Sakura. A lot of it, more than you realize. But you don't seem aware of it."

"But...I don't! It's my brother who has all the power, not me."

Keroberos shook his head. "No, you do have magic. But it's locked away somehow. If you can figure out how to unlock it, I think you would have enough magic of your own to release the Seal on the Key and then we would all have the power to stop Madoushi before it's too late."

"Tell me how to unlock it, then!" Sakura cried. If asked, she would have admitted that she did not truly believe the little Guardian that she could possibly have such power, but seeing Syaoran facing down Madoushi alone again made her desperate enough to try anything.

"I don't know how the spell works. I can't tell very much about it in this form," Keroberos said. "But I do know it's worse when you're afraid. I know it gets stronger when your heart is sad."

Suddenly Goose was at her side. "Remember what I said? About love and magic?"

Sakura frowned. "That...love is magic?"

"Right!" Cat was on her other side. "And you have a heart full of love. If you believe the power of that feeling, there's no reason you can't find magic inside yourself too."

"You say that so easily, but…"

"It's not easy," Keroberos said. "Finding the magic inside yourself and figuring out how to use it and then also breaking the Seal – none of it will be easy. But that doesn't mean you can't do it." He touched her cheek. "Because it's you, I think you can do it."

Sakura's heart gave a weird thump. "Why do you believe in me so much?"

Keroberos shifted until he could reach to the cord around Sakura's neck. He tugged on it until the Key rested on a root between them. "Because of this. You have this because your mother believed in you, and she wouldn't have given it to you if she wasn't absolutely sure. And...when I touched it, I could hear Clow's voice, too."

"Clow Reed?" Sakura was surprised.

"He's always been around if you knew how to listen," Keroberos said. "And if Clow believes in you, that's something, too. But even without that, I'd still believe in you!"

"Why?"

Keroberos smiled suddenly. "Because I can tell about you. You're not like Clow, and you're not like your mother or your brother. You're you. But I can still tell."

Sakura closed her eyes. It was so difficult to believe his words. It would have been easier for Sakura to believe the curse Madoushi had cast over the land, to believe that Clow Reed had never been and her mother and father were mere figments of her imagination. It would have been easier to forget that Touya had ever had magic at all than to believe that she might carry some as well.

Even now, even though she trusted Keroberos, even though she believed Syaoran had reason to trust in her, even though she loved her little friends – something in her denied it all.

But her inner struggle was forgotten at a cry of pain from Syaoran.

Sakura's eyes flew open to see Syaoran's feet lose their purchase on the ground as a torrent of water crashed into him. His sword was still up before him, and his magic protected him from the worst of the blow, but he still tumbled over and over to land to one side of the tree.

"Syaoran!" Sakura called out.

"Don't move!" he shouted back, his breathing coming in ragged gasps. He reached into his robes and drew an ofuda. " _Raitei Shourai!_ "

A blast of lightning erupted from Syaoran's sword and slammed into Madoushi, who screeched in pain. But just as it appeared his powers would overwhelm her, a pair of white shapes dropped down from the sky and absorbed his attack instead. When the lightning stopped, the pair of birds turned slowly to water, which dripped away as they were undone.

Behind them, Madoushi's eyes glowed with rage and her form was becoming indistinct in a swirl of wind and water. "You are _nothing_!" she cried. "Only Clow Reed can defeat me!"

The column of water that rose with her fury crashed against Syaoran, lifting him up in a cruel prison. Within the torrent, Syaoran struggled to slash against the water with his sword, but his movements were sluggish and weak.

"Your power will become my own!" Madoushi drew near. She raised her arms.

To Sakura's horror, Syaoran's body grew still. A pale light began to drift and stretch like a shadow, drawn from him and caught up in Madoushi's influence. As the light grew brighter, Madoushi began to grow as well, becoming less human once more. And at the same time, Syaoran's body started to fade.

"Come on!" Keroberos shouted, springing from his place at Sakura's side. "We have to do something!"

The other six creatures bounded out of the tree after him around where Sakura crouched, frozen. It took her a moment to manage to shout after them, "But what can you do?"

"Anything is better than nothing!" Rabbit yelled back.

"We have to try to protect you!" Penguin added.

"She'll be sorry she hurt our friends and our forest," Alligator was grumbling more to itself.

Bear was running between Cat and Goose. "Can we really fight?"

"We have to try," Goose told it.

"It may be more help than you realize," Cat said.

And the seven of them reached Madoushi's feet.

Keroberos dove straight at the evil queen, belling a challenge. He was able to evade her watery protections and shoved against the most solid part of her body that he could find. The blow lacked power, but even so, it knocked her off balance. As she took a step back, her feet emerging from the coils of wind and water around her, the six little creatures who could not fly dove together to try to knock her down.

The distraction did little harm to Madoushi, but it likely saved Syaoran's life. Madoushi cried out in anger and redirected her focus to the seven nuisances around her; when her focus broke from the young man she was draining of power, he was able to regain a bit of his own energy once more. Syaoran lifted his sword and drew an ofuda to cast fire, liberating him from the watery prison.

However, though he had escaped her, Syaoran was also nearly spent, most of his magical energy absorbed by Madoushi. He crashed to the ground with a terrible thump and did not rise.

"Syaoran!" Sakura cried, rising out of the roots of the tree.

"Stay back!" Keroberos yelled to her. "We don't want you to be hurt, Sakura!"

And when the six little creatures and one little Guardian turned to Sakura, they took their eyes off Madoushi.

"Insolent bugs!" She raised a hand and viciously sliced at all seven with water as sharp as ice. The power blasted all seven of her opponents to the ground with brutal force.

Sakura stared and felt tears on her face. Syaoran's eyes were closed and he was breathing, but he was pale and unmoving. Keroberos had landed in a tumbled heap of golden fur and wings, and even from here she could see that one of his wings was bent unnaturally. Cat was shivering on the grass and whimpering in pain. Goose's wings were tangled in its feet and many of its feathers had been torn out. Bear had an eye swelling shut. Penguin had a flipper pierced by a lance of ice. Alligator's whole body was horribly twisted and its tail twitched in pain. Rabbit seemed unable to move its hind legs.

"Everyone." Sakura looked at her friends and at the swirling menace that had brought them to such suffering. "Everyone...it's my fault. You all believed in me, and...I still can't do anything."

Sakura's feet had carried her clear of the cherry tree, but now she fell to her knees.

"I'm so sorry."

-==OOO==-

"What is that?" Touya asked. He pointed in the direction they were heading at a strange darkness that seemed to be overtaking the very air.

Prince Hiiragizawa ducked his head ever so slightly. "It appears your curse has been successful, son of Kinomoto Nadeshiko. That is Sakura's failure, and the end of all hope."

-==OOO==-

Syaoran was somewhere dark.

"I have to wake up! I have to go help Sakura!" He fought the numbing void that held him.

Then he felt a strange burning from his left eye. "What…?"

 _The time has come_ , a voice whispered in his mind. _I return to you the rest of your memory per our contract long ago._

Syaoran found himself watching his younger self in the tower with High Priestess Nadeshiko as he had in the dream only a matter of hours before. But this time, the conversation was different.

Young Syaoran stared at the High Priestess for a moment before asking, "What is the promise?"

"You must swear to protect and watch over the first person to touch you from the moment you leave this tower with me."

"For how long?" Syaoran wanted to know.

"Until Clow Reed's true inheritor is revealed."

Young Syaoran considered carefully before nodding. "All right. I promise in the name of my honor and magic to protect the first person to touch me outside the tower until Clow Reed's inheritor is revealed."

"Then in exchange for this promise," the High Priestess said, "I will give you a gift."

She held her hands out before her and in them floated a tiny sphere marked with the symbol of balance Syaoran knew well from the Li Clan's magic circle.

"What will it do?" Young Syaoran asked.

"For now, nothing. However, someday the person you have sworn to protect will be in danger of giving up. That person will be defeated and heartbroken, and it will seem that all hope is lost. When that moment comes, this will break open. It will give you both one last chance before the end."

Young Syaoran nodded. "I will accept this."

The High Priestess spread her hands and the little sphere floated forward. "I will hide this within your eye. It will not harm you nor impair your vision, but it will therefore be protected from anyone until the time comes. You will forget that it is there as soon as it takes root within you, which will guard it even more closely from evil. But it will always be inside you."

Young Syaoran did not flinch even when the sphere touched him.

But the Syaoran who now remembered the agreement understood what he could not have perceived before. The High Priestess had given him a way out of his own weakness, a way to protect Sakura when all was lost.

"I won't let her give up!"

-==OOO==-

Sakura looked up from her knees to see Madoushi hovering over her.

"Give me the Key, child, or they will all die here and now."

Sakura's fingers trembled as she reached for the cord around her neck. "It's...the only way I can help, isn't it?"

A cold smile touched Madoushi's somewhat human face. "Yes, foolish child. It is."

"No. No, it isn't. Sakura."

Sakura turned to see Syaoran rolling his head in her direction. For all that his skin was pale and his body was bruised, his eyes were clear and calm and bright.

"Syaoran?"

"Sakura. The reason I believe in you isn't only because I know you have power inside you."

"Silence!" Madoushi shouted, turning to strike at him. But her blow was reflected by a momentary shield that rose and gleamed for an instant – long enough to protect him and to knock her sideways away from Sakura.

Syaoran looked to Sakura and understood that what she needed wasn't courage. It wasn't even hope. It was something far more powerful and far more important.

"Sakura. I love you."

Syaoran felt the last gift of Kinomoto Nadeshiko leave him, but he smiled. It had given him the time to say what he had wanted to tell Sakura for so long. It felt so right to say it that he said it again.

"I love you, Sakura. More than anything in the world. And I always will."

Syaoran's words, his expression, his sincerity – none of them reached Sakura the way the truth of his feelings did in that moment. She could feel it, could feel it stirring within her like a human sort of magic. And yet it wasn't fragile or uncertain.

Syaoran loved her.

And she…

Sakura closed her hands over her heart, reaching not for the Key but for her own feelings.

Something in her rose bright and strong and impossibly happy.

 _I'm not sure what this feeling is, but I want to find out_ , Sakura's heart whispered. _I want to feel this about Syaoran._

 _I can't give up. I can't ever give up. I won't give up._

 _This feeling is more important than being afraid or unsure. It's worth everything._

Sakura didn't hear Keroberos shifting his position so he could look at her with eyes wide but not from pain. "She's doing it! She's breaking it!"

"You can do it, Sakura!" Cat whispered.

"We believe in you," Goose said.

The others added their hope. But it was Syaoran's heart that lifted the most. For he could see the strange quieting force that had kept Sakura from seeming to be magical beginning to fade. And as it went, he grew steadily more aware of tremendous magical powers within her. Of all his faith in her proved true a thousand times over.

The warmth within Sakura's heart grew and grew.

 _I feel...I feel...I do have something inside me! And...these feelings can change everything!_

 _I believe in...whatever this is. I believe in my feelings._

 _I'm sure._

 _I'm sure I have something inside that can can make a difference!_

And the Seal that had bound Sakura's heart shattered.

-==OOO==-

Touya would have fallen if not for Yukito's grip on him. "Touya!"

Touya shook his head and pointed. "Look!"

The strange dark miasma that had been crawling into the sky from their destination suddenly winked out – only to be replaced by a warm, bright glow.

The Prince smiled a real smile that made him look rather like a boy. "She's done it. I should have expected as much from her."

"Sakura broke the wish you made?" Yukito looked to Touya.

Touya nodded. "She did. And she's more powerful than I ever could have guessed."

Eriol moved his staff and their speed increased a bit. "Nothing less from Sakura. Now has come our time to join her."

-==OOO==-

However, while Sakura was overcoming her fears, Madoushi had been rebuilding her strength.

"You vile thing! You have hidden such power from me? I will destroy you for this!"

She gathered her winds and waters for a strike.

But Sakura stepped away from the cherry tree and faced her evenly, a bright, luminous smile on her face.

"If I do my best, I know...I know I...I can do something about this. I'm sure I can." And then, with a new sort of wondrous joy, Sakura looked at her hands.

"I thought I was alone. I was always afraid. But now I'm not. I've stopped being afraid and I'll never be alone again. Everyone believes in me, but I believe in myself, too."

She looked to her friends, to Keroberos, to Syaoran. And then she turned back to Madoushi with pure courage blazing through her.

"I will definitely be all right."

Light burst from Sakura in a riotous, jubilant explosion. Even Madoushi fell back a few paces at the warmth and magic and power that spilled, poured, gleamed from her. But Keroberos and the six brave little creatures and Syaoran, all of whom found their strength restored by Sakura's triumph, looked past the light to the one who was now holding the Key of Clow before her with confidence.

"The Key which hides the power of the Dark. Reveal your true form before me. I hereby release the Seal of Clow!"

And radiance ignited everywhere.


	9. Chapter 9

Well, we've reached the end of this particular tale. I hope everyone has enjoyed the story and I want to thank all of you for the amazing feedback, the kind words, and the support you have sent. You are truly the greatest readers in the world and it has been my honor and privilege to write for you.

This will almost certainly not be my last CCS story, though it could be awhile before I do another. Until then, I hope to see you all around other fandoms!

Enjoy!

* * *

Yue felt the Seal release like a tug on his very soul. Without even realizing, he returned to his true form, dropping the startled Touya's arm. But Touya and his surprise, the Prince, Kaho – none of it mattered.

Yue's new master was finally calling for him.

He took to the air and flew with a speed he had never known before towards the source of that power and the person for whom he had spent centuries waiting.

-==OOO==-

Sakura looked at the Wand in her hands, no longer a Key but a proper Wand with the head of a swan.

"I did it!" she cried out happily.

Suddenly she sensed a creeping cold and spun just in time to see Madoushi leaping at her, water surrounding her like a torrent.

"That is Clow's own magic! I will have it all!"

And Sakura could feel something in the Wand, something like an affinity for Madoushi. She looked up in surprise and with a strange sort of insight.

"You...did Clow create you, too?"

Madoushi reached the glowing magic in a wide arc surrounding Sakura and coiled her waters around it, trying to break through. "No, he did far worse! He cursed me!"

"But how?" Sakura asked.

"I discovered some of his magic long ago, before he even came to this land to found his kingdom. And it poisoned me! For a thousand years, it has torn at me and caused unending suffering! Now, give me his powers! Give them to me so I may have my revenge!"

Sakura took a step back, holding the Wand before her with both hands.

"I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt you," she said. "I'm sure his power was never meant to be used that way."

"It does not matter! That Wand is of the Dark as I am of the Dark and it will be mine!"

To her horror, Sakura realized that Madoushi was breaking through the magic. Not by overpowering it, but because, as she said, they were similar. Too similar. And Madoushi's water was seeping in on all sides.

"Sakura!" Keroberos shouted, struggling to push himself up from the ground. "You can't fight her with the power of Clow Reed! You need a new power!"

"A new power?" Sakura looked at the wand.

 _The stars guide us through the dark to the light. Remember it, Sakura. When you are lost, trust the Stars to guide you and put your faith in their power._

"Mother." Sakura closed her eyes. "Can I do it?"

"You have to believe in yourself as we believe in you!" Syaoran called.

And Sakura remembered. "I will definitely be all right."

She took a deep breath and held the Wand high.

Beneath Sakura, the magic circle changed. What had been the circle of Clow Reed was remade as golden lines inscribed new symbols in a new design. Sakura stood in the center of a five-pointed star, with the sun at her right hand and the moon at her left.

"The Wand which hides the power of the Dark. I forge a contract with you! Abandon your old form and reincarnate under the power of the Stars!"

The Wand flashed incandescently with light, too bright for even Syaoran to watch for a moment. But as the light faded, the Wand settled into a new shape. No longer the head of a swan, now it bore a bright star flanked by wings.

"You! You have destroyed Clow's power!" Madoushi raged.

She lunged for Sakura, only for Sakura to lower the Wand and point it at her. There was a blast of magic which flung the evil queen across the clearing.

But Syaoran did not feel any relief, for he could see that Sakura's eyes were blank and unseeing. Though her power remained and her body had responded with more potent magic than ever, her soul was...absent. His heart froze. Was this the price of releasing the Seal? Would Sakura be lost now that she had just found herself?

"No," he gasped aloud. "I choose...to trust in her. I am sure, somehow...Sakura will be all right."

-==OOO==-

"Where am I?"

Sakura looked around in confusion. Only a moment ago, she had been in the forest with Syaoran and Keroberos and her friends, all trying their best to stop Madoushi. But now she stood on a path of gossamer and tiny winking lights amidst an endless deep blue emptiness dotted with dancing, shining forms too far away to distinguish.

"Let's see. I released the Seal on the Key...and I changed it into a Wand of the Stars!"

Sakura glanced down in alarm, but the Star Wand was still in her hands just as it had been a moment ago. She studied it, feeling the strange way it thrummed against her skin as though it were singing to her. It was odd how such a simple thing – no more than a wand with a crest at the top – could be so powerful.

"Not quite. It is not the Wand that is powerful, but you."

Sakura's head came up and she held the wand out protectively on pure instinct. Standing before her was a tall man with long black hair. His robes were familiar to her from every picture and tapestry and even some preserved artefacts in the castle, but she would have known him even if he had looked entirely different. She could feel his presence in everything around her.

"Are you really...Clow Reed?" she asked.

"I am a part of Clow Reed left behind for you. My true self died long ago, but I left a memory so that I could speak to you when you fulfilled my greatest wish."

"Your greatest wish...Your Majesty?" Sakura belatedly remembered that Clow Reed had been, in fact, the ruler of the land.

At that, Clow Reed smiled faintly. "Between us, you may refer to me more casually, as do all my other most cherished ones. Certainly Keroberos would laugh himself sick were he to hear you refer to me so formally."

Sakura nodded, but she was not sure she would ever be able to call the legendary sorcerer by his bare name to his face.

"I lived a long and very interesting life, but death comes to us all someday. When mine arrived, the only unfulfilled wish left in my heart was that those I had created and loved would be protected and cared for and would be able to continue to live happily. Just as a father wants his children to be safe and content after he is gone, my only wish at the time of my death was for my own creations to continue to live and thrive in my absence."

"Do you mean Yue and Keroberos?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, but not only them. I can see that you have been through much heartache and your mind and magic have been tampered with more than once. Tell me, do you know of any others of my creations that remain?"

Sakura considered. "I...remember something. They were called the...Six Keepers? But I've never seen them."

Clow Reed dipped his head. "They have been weakened greatly in the time between my death and your release of the Seal on my Key. They have been beside you, but they scarcely remember themselves. When I return you to yourself, you must quickly restore them to their own true selves by remaking them under your own name and power as their new master. But do not be surprised – there are many more of them than you think."

Sakura blinked, but nodded.

"You already know Yue and Keroberos. Do you like them?"

"Very much!" Sakura smiled. "Though I know Yukito better than Yue."

"To know one is to know the other, in a way. They are very close, the two of them, though I suspect they have grown a bit more independent since I last saw them myself. It is good for them. Just as the Moon cannot shine brightly on its own and must reflect the light of another, Yue is made whole when he is not alone to carry his spirit. Keroberos, on the other hand, has enough spirit for anyone."

Sakura laughed. "Even when he was Cakey and had forgotten everything, he was always full of energy."

"It makes me very happy that you like them. They were mine for many, many years. I would hope their new master would love them and care for them as I did."

"Oh, I will!" Sakura promised. But then her face fell a bit.

"Is something wrong?"

"No...yes? It's just that...I didn't know I had any power until now. I was under a spell. So...I don't really know what I'm doing. I'm just a child. I'll try my best, but…"

Clow Reed took a step closer and bent so he was nearer Sakura's height. "Do you regret breaking the Seal on the Key?"

"No! If I hadn't, Syaoran and Keroberos and the others would be in trouble! But...I'm not you. I can't ever be you. We all...the whole kingdom...we've been waiting so long for someone to break your Seal and restore the land and its magic and help rule and protect everyone. But we all thought it would be a powerful magician, someone wise and experienced. I'm...only me."

Sakura felt her eyes grow watery even as her heart ached. And yet...there was an honesty in this worry, a clean uncertainty so different from that which had plagued her for so many years. How strange to discover this was some of the first true, genuine insecurity and fear she had ever known.

Clow Reed gently placed a hand on her head. "Tell me. What was it that allowed you to break the spell that held you? How did you find the courage in yourself to break my Seal?"

"I...decided I would definitely be all right. And decided I would do my best, no matter what."

At her answer, he smiled. "Then if you continue to do so, I too am confident you will definitely be all right. Besides." He waited until her eyes were fully on him before continuing, "If you could not succeed, if you could not surpass all I have hoped for you, the Seal would never have allowed you to release it. The Seal read your heart and what it found there was more than enough to satisfy me."

Sakura looked at the Wand in her hands. "This Wand...read my heart?"

"Not precisely. The Key I left behind did. But that Wand is one you made with your own powers. The light of the Stars may be faint at times, but it is strong and lasting and always present to guide and protect everyone. You have inherited my will and my Kingdom, but you have done it with your own powers. That is a great accomplishment. I am proud of you."

Sakura blushed. "Thank you."

Clow Reed stepped back. "I should return you to your friends. There is a great deal of work yet ahead of you, and some of it will be very difficult."

"I can do it. I know I can." Sakura smiled at him. "I will definitely be all right."

Clow Reed smiled, too. "I know you will be. Please take care of my people and my creations and watch over them. They seem very powerful, but they are all quite fragile. Their hearts are delicate and they gain strength as much from the truth of your feelings as your power. But as long as you trust in your feelings, I know your love will hold them safe."

Sakura felt the strange scene begin to dissolve around her. Suddenly she called, "Wait! What if I have questions? Will I ever see you again?"

Clow Reed's voice came to her from what felt like far away. "I am easily found when you need me. I am in the wind and the trees and the hearts of those I left behind. I am in the land and the water. And I will be with you – particularly when you are dreaming."

And then Sakura remembered her dream and the voice that had spoken – the voice she now knew belonged to Clow Reed. _Water is a thing that must flow. Just as time must flow. Just as truth must flow. Listen to your heart. It, too, must flow freely. For when all things flow forward correctly, the light can be reborn anew._

"I still don't understand what that means!"

"You will. Trust yourself. Trust your feelings. They, like your Stars, will always guide you."

-==OOO==-

Sakura's eyes blinked and cleared.

Syaoran managed to push to his knees, bracing himself on his sword though his arms still shook, partly from his exhaustion and partly with relief that Sakura seemed to have returned to herself. With Madoushi slowly pulling herself together across the grass, he had a perfect view of Sakura as magic swelled around her – and around the others.

At the same moment Sakura's eyes returned from their odd blankness, Keroberos vanished behind a wall of golden feathers, a magic circle beneath him. An instant later, he emerged as his true self, no longer bound to the tiny, powerless form. Keroberos stood as a golden lion, his head and chest crested with silver armor and his back flanked by wide, powerful wings.

The six other little creatures – Cat, Goose, Rabbit, Alligator, Penguin, and Bear – also rose into the air, their bodies dissolving each into a shining nimbus with something that danced at the center.

"You...you too? Like Keroberos? It was you all along?" Sakura looked wonderingly at them. Then her heart lifted. "I'm glad. Now I can help my friends as they helped me!"

Sakura did not know exactly what would happen, but she remembered the words of Clow Reed, remembered that she must restore them to their true selves. That she must remake them as she had remade the Wand. With the light and magic still swirling around her, she wrapped both hands around the base of the Star Wand and lifted it again, feeling it come to life with her will.

"Powers created by Clow, reveal your true forms before me!"

The magic circle beneath Sakura spread out to encompass the other six sources of light.

Yue appeared in the air above, winging down to stand beside Keroberos on the grass. "This is…?" he began.

Keroberos gave his counterpart a faint smile. "The beginning of a new era. A new master for us and for the others."

Yue did not smile, but his face softened. "I'm glad. And it is good to see you, Keroberos. It has been too long."

"Far too long," Keroberos agreed. "And it has been worse on them than us."

Yue nodded. "I wondered if they would even survive. There are so many of them."

"They are strong," Keroberos's words echoed with a smile. "As is Sakura."

"So it seems."

Six clusters of light and magic hovered in the air, spinning and dancing, their light growing as they were fed by Sakura's own power and her circle that now glowed beneath them. The six floated until they surrounded Sakura, orbiting her as their fixed star.

And then each of them began to change.

The ball of light that had been Rabbit, eager and loving, began to swirl and turn a pale yellow color. The outline of Rabbit's form elongated and shifted as though stretched and pulled. The ears became long, flowing hair. The short limbs expanded to full arms and a graceful body. She was clearly female, but vaguely inhuman. And she moved with the grace of spring breezes and airy liberation.

The light that had been Alligator deepened and turned a dark red. The lizard's snout, locked in a permanent sneer, retreated into a pug nose and a different kind of haughtiness. The claws and tail became whirling sparks crowned with a pair of bright wings. This one was male, but young, an impish-looking creature whose face was bent in a superior smirk. His eyes glowed like hot coals.

The whirling magic that had been Penguin roiled joyously in every shade of blue and blue-green. Penguin's wings became proper arms with webbed hands, and its flippers stretched into a powerful, scaly tail and a set of long fins. The beaked face that had so often been split with mischievous glee now retreated into a fiercely playful countenance. She, like Rabbit, was female, but more inhuman in form. She undulated and her energies echoed the sound of the tides.

The light that had been Bear transformed much more slowly and steadily, shifting little in color from Bear's brown fur. The arms lengthened and became much more human, and the body and face clearly showed her to be female. The sands of energy swirled to form an elaborate headdress, almost a crown. There was something unbreakable, yet crystalline, in her essence.

The six ceased their whirling around Sakura for the last two, those who had been Cat and Goose, to hang in the air before her. Syaoran could see Sakura's face shift as she closed her eyes in concentration.

The light that had been Cat shone brightly, purely white; beside it, the one that had been Goose shone darkly black. Together, moving in unison, the pair slowly extended arms that became human-like, bodies that settled into stately gowns of opposite colors but otherwise altogether alike. Their faces became beautiful and serene as long hair spilled down their backs – white and curly for Cat and black and straight for Goose. They each wore crowns that were distinct, and yet similar.

"The Six Keepers," Syaoran whispered. "They were hidden just like Keroberos. I didn't sense them at all."

"That," Keroberos looked over at him with a raised eye-ridge, "is not all you didn't sense."

For Sakura was still working magic as she followed what her heart and her instincts told her was needed. As the Six around her stabilized in their true forms, each began to glow in the area of their respective midsections. The glows became more distinct as well until each of the Keepers bore seven or eight separate gleaming spots.

Sakura twirled the Star Wand once in a circle and again held it high. "Powers created by Clow! Return to the guise you were meant to be in!"

And each of the glowing points burst from the Six Keepers to become distinct forms of their own.

There were too many for Syaoran to see them all at once. Some were humanoid in shape, like the girl with long hair holding a mirror who emerged from the Keeper of Earth. Others were more like animals, such as the cat-like creature who was born of the Keeper of Wind. A few were inanimate, like the sword that arose from the Keeper of Fire. Dozens of them, all nearly as powerful to Syaoran's senses as the original Six.

Sakura's eyes opened.

"Powers created by Clow, abandon your old forms and reincarnate under the name of Sakura, your new master!"

And each of the magical beings surrounding Sakura flashed with bright light before fading. As Syaoran watched, each of the Keepers and whatever other powers they had contained faded into thin, rectangular forms. One by one, these slid from the air to land in Sakura's outstretched hand.

Yue noticed the Syaoran's confusion and said, "It is easier for them to exist bound to some other shape so they can rest. They are also easier to control that way – and to hide. It is why very few ever remembered them over time. Clow also made them Cards, so he could keep them with him and only call upon them when needed. He only released them from their Card forms to keep them alive after he was gone."

"But they aren't Clow's Cards now, are they?" Keroberos asked. "They are Sakura's Cards."

At last, the light around Sakura began to fade. She lowered the Star Wand to hold it limply in one hand, staring at the pile of Cards gathered in the other.

"I...how did I…?"

A new voice spoke in calm, ringing tones. "Because this was the path you were always meant to take, for you alone have the pure strength to restore all of Clow's creations to their true selves. You are their master now. You can invoke them by will alone or by using the Wand. But they are now wholly yours, forged of your magic and love."

Sakura turned to see her brother along with two individuals she did not recognize float into the clearing. They landed to one side of the Guardians.

"Big Brother!" Then Sakura blinked at the person who had answered her. "And...are you...connected to Clow Reed?"

"Yes. I am Prince Hiiragizawa, brother of Clow Reed." He smiled slightly. "I expected no less of one worthy to break the Seal and revive those whom Clow loved most."

"Brother! Clow had a brother? _Impossible_!" Keroberos roared.

"I know," Yue told him quietly. "That's what I said. But it is true nonetheless."

Sakura was just opening her mouth to ask one of her countless questions, but a laugh from the other side of the clearing drew all attention.

"It matters not if Clow had a brother! All that was his will be mine!"

There was a great _crack_ and a jagged split ran up the center of the cherry tree. A dark rush of power flowed along the grasses as the noble tree wilted. From the heart of that power, Madoushi rose and loomed larger than ever, half as tall as the nearest trees. Water and wind danced around her, and the forest behind her was also blackened and dead.

"You have forgotten me at your peril, child! Now we will see whose power is truly greater!"

Touya started to move, only to find his way blocked by the outstretched staff of the Prince.

"Don't interfere. This is Sakura's battle alone, as inheritor of Clow's legacy." He glanced at Touya. "But do not fear. She is more well-guarded than you can imagine, and she has the power to succeed where even I might fail."

Sakura held her wand up before her. "Don't be scared, Big Brother," she said in an even voice. "I'm not afraid. I'll protect you. I'll protect everyone!"

"And we'll protect you!" Keroberos declared, taking to the air just long enough to set himself at Sakura's side. Yue followed, landing lightly across from him on her other side.

"You must fight her with all your strength," Yue said. "For the sake of the whole Kingdom and all the Cards who love you and now depend upon your power to live."

"I know." Sakura nodded. "But I won't fail. I won't give up. And if we all work together, I know we'll be all right!"

"Foolish words!" Madoushi shouted.

And she attacked.

Sakura braced herself, her Wand up, but before Madoushi could reach her, Yue scooped her up into his arms and took to the air while Keroberos opened his mouth and roared a potent wave of fire to cover their retreat.

Sakura blinked at Yue. "Why?"

"We are your Guardians. It is our duty to protect you," he answered, never taking his eyes from where Keroberos and Madoushi traded blasts of power.

"Thank you. But can't I help, too?"

Now Yue glanced at her. "You may have inherited the powers of Clow Reed, but you do not know how to use them. The Cards will help you, but their magics will only be usable if you summon them. Otherwise they will wait in their Card forms. You do not know most of their names to call them."

Sakura looked at the stack of cards in her hand. The one on the top of the deck was the Card that had been Cat. At the bottom it read, "The Light."

"Later, we will introduce you to all of the Cards so you can get to know them and understand their powers," Yue continued. "For now, you will have to trust in us."

Sakura nodded. "I understand." For an instant, she held the deck of Cards to her heart, certain that they could hear her even if she did not know them all. "Please be patient with me. I will do my best to be a good master, I promise!"

The tiniest of smiles graced Yue's face. He was pleased to have a master with magic strong enough to support all the creatures under his care, but he was far more grateful it was someone who already loved them without even knowing anything about them.

However, a roar from below drew their attention back to the battle. Keroberos was on his side on the grass, breathing heavily.

"Quickly," Yue said. "Summon Fiery."

Sakura blinked. She glanced at the deck, not sure if she could find one Card among the many. But then she remembered that she was not afraid and that she had to believe in herself.

So Sakura trusted that everything would be all right. She held the Wand out. "Fiery!"

From the deck, a Card flipped out, growing into Fiery who had once been Alligator. Sakura smiled at him. "Please go help Keroberos!"

The Fiery Keeper gave Sakura a smirk and a wink before diving down into the clearing. Fiery intercepted the next blast of water from Madoushi with a lance of its own flame, coiling up a ball of fire like a comet and sailing it against the evil queen. Madoushi caught the attack with streamers of water that immediately began to transform into steam, obscuring the area.

"Do you understand now?" Yue asked.

Sakura nodded. "Yes. I will do my best to help."

Yue began to fly lower. "Then I will also. If you find yourself in danger, call on Shield. It will protect you."

Yue set Sakura on the ground to one side from where Keroberos and Fiery were battling Madoushi. When his hands were free, he created a bow of pure light and an arrow with a thought. When he released the arrow, firing it straight into the whirling storm that was Madoushi, it penetrated many of her defenses and left disrupted magic in its wake.

Madoushi snarled and turned her attention to Yue beside her, providing an opening for Keroberos and Fiery to strike. When Madoushi was hit by their combined fire, she screamed in pain.

Something about that sound caught Sakura's attention.

While Yue took to the air to draw Madoushi away from where he had set Sakura, and Keroberos and Fiery kept up their own assault, Sakura watched Madoushi more closely.

"I don't really remember seeing her fight when she first came to the Kingdom," she said to herself, "but I wonder if she looked as sad then as she does now. She said that Clow Reed's powers had cursed her, but I wonder if that's really true."

Sakura looked to the Cards in her hand. "I want to ask her. But I need to stop her first."

A trickle of magic wound through her heart and Sakura made an intuitive decision as she lifted the Star Wand. "Windy! Watery! Create a binding chain to hold her!"

The Windy Keeper emerged as a gust of air trailing beside her Watery sister. The pair swept forward and attempted to encircle Madoushi.

"Now!" Keroberos called to Fiery, seeing how Madoushi was distracted fending off Sakura's own attack.

"Don't!" Sakura called. Her order halted the Guardians and Fiery as though she had stopped time. Fiery even winked out of existence at the order ringing in Sakura's heart, returning to a Card and floating back to the deck.

"Sakura, we need to end this now while she's distracted!" Keroberos shouted.

But Sakura shook her head, eyes on where Madoushi's own winds were fighting Windy and the waves of the Watery Card were beginning to penetrate the walls of water around her. "Not like that. I don't want to kill her."

"I don't think that holding back is wise," Yue said from above.

"It isn't! And your pitiful power cannot touch me! I have surpassed far more than this much of Clow's magic!"

Sakura felt a burning as Madoushi's power overcame Windy and Watery, sending them both retreating into their Card forms to avoid being destroyed in the sudden hurricane that swept them away from the evil queen. Sakura received the pair of Cards and could sense their exhaustion, though they would be well again if she needed them – they would draw new strength from her.

"I'm sorry," she told them. "Thank you for trying."

Sakura wasn't looking up, but the others were. "Sakura!" came Touya's cry. "Watch out!"

Sakura raised her head in time to see a thin wave of water spreading across the grass in every direction. Keroberos was in the air beside Yue, so she was the only one in its direct path. Sakura brought up the Star Wand, but the water reached her feet before she could otherwise react.

And she fell.

"Sakura!" Keroberos bellowed as his friend and new master dropped out of sight as though she had been standing above a deep pool. He dove for the water.

"Stop, Keroberos!" came the voice of Prince Hiiragizawa. "A Guardian created by Clow Reed cannot resist what waits there."

"And Sakura can?" Touya turned to the prince, radiating fury.

"I think so, yes."

Keroberos snarled and turned to where Madoushi had been, only to see her vanish down into the pool of water as well.

But then Yue and Kaho saw Syaoran push to his feet, gasping against his own exhaustion but his face set and focused. He had been a short distance away from the fight; his tiredness had left him helpless to prevent Madoushi from taking Sakura.

However, he would not let her take Sakura alone.

"Hey! Kid!" Keroberos had been spinning to speak to the Prince only to catch sight of Syaoran's movements. "What are you doing?"

Syaoran drew himself up, sword tight in one hand. "I'm going after her."

Yue dove close but did not prevent him. "You are weakened. You may be a burden to her."

"Maybe," Syaoran said, meeting his eyes. "But I won't leave her alone anyway."

"Let him go," the Prince commanded. "It is good for her not to be alone."

Touya balled his hands into fists, barely keeping himself from lashing out. "Then you go after her! You're more powerful than him! Or I'll go myself!"

"Your magic still lies within Yue. You would be helpless there." The Prince did not even turn his head to address Touya. "The boy has enough power to endure, but not so much that Madoushi will regard him as a threat. Yes, I think he can do it."

"I won't fail," Syaoran vowed, his eyes trailing from Yue to Keroberos to Touya and finally landing on the Prince. "I'll bring her back."

"You better or I'll make you sorry you ever came here," Touya growled.

Syaoran pretended not to hear him.

"Remain calm and focus only on your task. You have little strength left to you, so you must use it wisely," the Prince said.

Syaoran nodded and took the remaining step into the water, where he promptly sank and did not reemerge.

"What happens now?" Kaho asked quietly from her place beside the Prince.

"It depends largely on Sakura," the Prince replied. "If she is able to defeat Madoushi, she and the boy will return safely. If she cannot, I will seal this opening between worlds to prevent Madoushi from ever returning."

"If you do that, Sakura will be trapped! She won't be able to come back!" Keroberos hovered over the Prince and bristled with anger.

"If I have no choice but to do that," the Prince replied, and his face was grave, "then Sakura would never be able to come back anyway. If she loses to Madoushi now, she will die, and all of Clow's power and hope with her."

-==OOO==-

Sakura found herself immersed in water. She had learned to swim many years before when Yukito had taught her; Touya kept tossing her into a nearby lake when they would take trips to it, and Yukito thought perhaps she ought to know how to get back to shore on her own. It had been several years, but Sakura kicked her feet and found she moved through the water easily. The water was very, very still around her – and rather cold.

When her head broke the surface, she took in a deep breath. "Now where am I?"

"This is my domain."

Sakura turned in the water, taking in the area as she did so. It was a strange, barren room larger even than the greatest ballroom at the castle, but it was half-flooded. Sticking up in various places throughout the room were columns, some cracked, some broken off like round pedestals rising from the water. The ceiling was hazy and indistinct, but it seemed dark and empty and oddly oppressive.

At the far end of the room, Madoushi hung in the air surrounded by streamers of water.

Sakura grabbed onto the nearest pedestal and climbed up onto it so she could stand and face the evil queen.

"Why did you bring me here?"

"I built this place deep within myself for Clow Reed. I built it so that I could trap him here for all time to repay him for cursing me."

Sakura still had the Star Wand in her hands, though she had tucked the Cards into a pocket in order to swim, and she held it out. "I'm not going to let you trap me here."

" _You won't have a choice!_ " At Madoushi's shout, a column of icy water rose before Sakura and dove at her.

"Shield!"

The Wand flashed with power and a dome of magic deflected the attack before it could reach Sakura.

Madoushi's face twisted with anger, but there was something in the expression Sakura had never seen in the evil queen before. Something far more human. "You horrible, horrible girl! How could you have taken Clow's own powers? How could you dare remake them?"

"I had to!" Sakura yelled. "I had to save them and I had to fight to protect my friends. But Clow Reed told me it was okay."

"Clow Reed told you?"

The waters all around Sakura rose up and roiled in streamers and suspended whirlpools, echoing Madoushi's own obvious fury and distress. But none approached Sakura and she watched them and their mistress carefully. There was something…

"Sakura!"

"Syaoran?" She turned.

Syaoran stood on a nearby pillar. He was still pale and his hands shook slightly, but his eyes were bright and he did not falter where he stood. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine! Why are you here?"

"I came to help you! To protect you!" Syaoran's amber-brown eyes were clear. "I came because I won't let you do this alone!"

" _Alone!_ " Madoushi roared, and the word echoed over and over and over again in the cavernous room.

Sakura touched the pocket where her Cards waited. "Hold still, Syaoran. I'll bring you over here and then we can work together!"

" _No!_ " Madoushi emerged from the tempest of the room with her face wilder than ever, her eyes all too human but her mouth open in the scream of a gale on the ocean. " _No! Forever alone!_ "

The water surged and caught Syaoran up as it had that day in the castle gardens, as it had in the clearing before Sakura had broken her own Seal. His body lashed back and forth inside the torrent, but he was clearly too exhausted to resist.

"Syaoran!" Sakura cried out.

Madoushi's voice went low and almost hauntingly soft. "I will tear out his heart. I will tear it out and leave him empty as Clow Reed left me. And when your tears have drained you dry, you horrible mortal child, then I will tear yours out as well. And neither of you will know love. You will both be empty inside forever!"

The water constricting Syaoran fell away but Madoushi caught him in streamers that were made neither of wind nor water but something else. She strung him up like a marionette, his arms and legs held fast. Then she moved right behind him and put her arms around his chest to rest her hands over his heart.

"S...Sakura…" Syaoran coughed weakly. "I...I love you."

"Not for long, foolish mortal boy," Madoushi hissed in his ear. "I will empty your heart forever."

Sakura squeezed the Star Wand against her chest and could not help the tears that filled her eyes.

"Syaoran…" she whimpered. She was not afraid for herself, but she was afraid for him and she did not know how to help him without endangering him. Sakura felt in her heart that there was _something_ she must do, but she did not know what.

"S...Sakura…"

And Madoushi plunged her long fingers into Syaoran's chest.

Sakura felt the pain as if it had been her own. She screamed. " _Syaoran!_ "

And her tears fell.

 _Water is a thing that must flow._

When Sakura's tears struck the broken column beneath her feet, the magic circle she had created with her own power of the Stars sprang from her, bright and merry. The whole room glowed with the golden light of Sakura's magic. And though Sakura wanted to fix her eyes on Syaoran, she was drawn to a form that slowly appeared before her.

A new Card.

With fingers that shook and tears that did not stop running, Sakura grasped the Card and turned it so she could see its face.

It had no name, but it bore a winged heart.

The instant Sakura understood the Card, understood what it meant, understood that it had come from her own feelings, she also understood Madoushi.

The light vanished and Sakura looked up to where the evil queen, the nightmare of the Kingdom of Clow, still hung in the air with her hands deep in Syaoran's chest. And Sakura was not completely surprised to see that Madoushi's own eyes were wet.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Sakura whispered, but her words were loud in the suddenly silent space. "It hurts to lose someone you love."

Madoushi's answer was not the voice of the imperial queen who had killed High Priestess Nadeshiko. It was a rather small voice, not unlike Sakura's own.

"It does hurt."

"Clow Reed...told me that water and truth and time have to flow freely. Like the heart does. You...you've been denying your feelings all this time."

"All I feel is _emptiness_!"

The cry was ragged and savage and Madoushi dug her hands into Syaoran's chest even more. Syaoran's eyes were open and blank and he did not even twitch at the intrusion or the blood that rained down the front of his ceremonial robe.

Sakura held onto the Card she had made. "You...you wanted to be close to Clow Reed. So you took something of his. Something very strong. But...it didn't make you feel better. It made you feel worse."

"It cursed me!"

Sakura fought a sob. "Then let me fix it. Please. I'll fix it. Just...let Syaoran go."

"No! If I cannot reach Clow, I will have everything that was his! If I must be empty, then I will empty the world!"

Sakura touched the Nameless Card to her heart. "Please. Please help me."

The Card started to cast a shining light. And against its light, a shadow grew behind Madoushi – a shadow that reflected something quite different from the evil queen herself.

Sakura looked up at Syaoran, his blank eyes growing dim. "Syaoran. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. I love you, too."

And Sakura lifted her Star Wand and put all her feelings and her hope and her fear and her love into her magic to summon the Nameless Card.

Madoushi tore her hands out of Syaoran's chest as she let out a tremendous, guttural cry. But the light that surrounded her seemed to shine right through her, illuminating the cast shadow more clearly.

And then with a burst that shook the very foundations of the space itself, the shadow broke free from Madoushi and formed up beside her as an entirely separate being.

"No! Give it back! It was Clow's!" Madoushi cried, her arms around Syaoran's shoulders seemingly the only thing holding her up.

The shape that had been torn from Madoushi was a little girl with long, shaggy hair and eyes as blank as Syaoran's. She moved slowly until she was facing Sakura.

"You're a Card," Sakura said. "A Card like the others."

"No," the Card replied. "I am Nothing. I am Emptiness. I am Void."

"You don't have to be," Sakura told it. "I can change you, too."

"If you do that, you will lose everything you love," the Void Card said. "You cannot become my master unless you let me fill your heart."

"That's what you did." Sakura's eyes shifted back to Madoushi, whose body seemed to be shrinking and her face looked more and more wretchedly human. "You stole this Card and made it your own. And it took away your heart."

Madoushi's eyes closed. "I couldn't wait for Clow anymore. I wanted him to come back to me. I waited for so long. But he had Sealed this Card, long ago. I broke the Seal on it. I thought it would bring me to him."

Sakura gulped. "But it only made everything worse."

"It made me powerful. And empty. I searched the whole world for Clow."

"And you found our Kingdom. But Clow was already dead." Sakura blinked away more tears. "And there was no one who could help you."

"I was inside her heart," the Void Card said. "Nothing is stronger than nothingness."

Sakura shook her head. "I don't believe that. I think there _is_ something stronger than nothingness. I'm sure of it!"

She held up the Star Wand. "Card created by Clow. Abandon your old form and reincarnate under the name of Sakura, your new master!"

Magic burst from Sakura to encompass the Void Card. But as soon as the Card began to change, Sakura cried out in sudden pain as an icy chill sliced into her body.

"I will take your heart," the Void Card said distantly. "And you will be my master forever."

"No! I don't want that!" Sakura felt hot tears running down her cheeks. "I promised I would definitely be all right and I won't give up!"

She looked up through the torrent of magic to Syaoran's slack face. "I won't let you take away my feelings for Syaoran!"

And the Nameless Card, still hovering in the air, exploded with light.

When Sakura blinked open her eyes after the sudden brightness, she found a Card floating towards her. It bore the face of the Void Card, but now her arms were tucked around the heart and wings of the Nameless Card. And it was not nameless anymore.

"The Hope?"

Then Sakura realized her heart was still her own, for its fear for Syaoran came crashing back.

Madoushi had fallen from the air, and the evil queen was lying on a pedestal beside Syaoran who still was not moving and whose eyes were sightless.

"Syaoran!" Sakura cried. She tucked the Hope Card with the others and looked for a way to get to them.

Madoushi's head came up and her face looked both young and impossibly old and weary.

"I would have waited for Clow...forever."

"Please!" Sakura's tears flowed. "Please let Syaoran go."

Madoushi made a trembling attempt at a smile. "Don't cry. It is over now."

The evil queen lowered her head and the waters rose and darkness fell.

-==OOO==-

The Prince looked up. "Look. They are coming."

The pool of water rippled for a moment before three figures emerged from it. Sakura was on her feet, her Star Wand before her, but her face was red and she was crying. Syaoran was prone in the water, unmoving and bloody, his eyes closed.

And Madoushi hung in the air above them, but her form was growing more and more indistinct. She began to disappear, dripping to nothingness as the dew evaporates in the light of the sun.

"I am sorry for the pain I have caused," she said. "I cannot undo it. But I will give the last of my power so that one more heart will not know my sorrow."

A single tear fell from Madoushi's own eyes to land on Syaoran's chest and then she was gone.

Sakura was moving, splashing through the wet grass beneath her feet. The Wand fell from nerveless fingers, but rather than separate from her, it returned to the shape of a Key that hung around her neck from the cord she had worn for so long.

"Syaoran! Syaoran!"

She flung her arms around Syaoran's unmoving form and sobbed, burying her face against his shoulder.

The Prince bowed his head slightly and spoke more to himself than to anyone else. "When all things flow forward correctly, the light can be reborn anew." He smiled. "You would be pleased to see it, Clow."

The remaining water on the grass flowed outward, and all the damaged trees and growth it touched began to recover, new leaves emerging and unfolding and new flowers opening. The cherry tree itself began to mend.

"S...Sakura?"

Sakura froze. She drew back slightly, eyes wide and wet, as the still, cold body began to move in her embrace. The blood that had stained his front was gone and the cruel tears into his chest were mended. She could not breathe, could not blink, could barely tell if her heart was beating.

Syaoran opened his eyes. "Sakura?"

Sakura wanted to laugh and cry all at the same time – so she did. She clung to him tightly, her body shaking with the release of her emotions. Syaoran sat up and put his arms around her, holding her as though he would never let go.

"Syaoran," Sakura managed around her hysteria. "I was so scared."

"I was scared, too," he whispered. "But I knew you could do it. I knew you would find a way." He ducked his head so he could rest her cheek against his own. "I love you."

Sakura pulled back from his arms and fixed her eyes on him. "I love you, too, Syaoran."

And they both smiled with a brightness that could outshine the rising sun, and Sakura crashed herself into Syaoran's arms and held on and managed to get almost her whole self into his embrace so she could say it over and over again. "I love you. I love you, Syaoran."

It was well they were so caught up in one another, as neither would have appreciated the redness of Touya's face. A new kind of anger took hold and he started to stalk towards the pair.

"Touya." Yue dropped from the air and faced him. "Don't. She is my master and I will not let you make her cry."

"I am _not_ losing Sakura to that _kid_!"

Yue's face bent as though smiling, though it wasn't really. "You cannot stop her. And you should not try. You have something far more important to do."

Touya raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Yue nodded. "Yes." And he promptly transformed.

Yukito blinked. _Yue? What are you doing?_

 _Distracting Touya from upsetting our master._

 _And how exactly am I supposed to do that?_ Yukito asked.

Yue's words were wolfish in their smugness. _Tell him that if I can deal with losing my other half to him, he can learn to live with allowing our master to be with the person she loves._

Yukito was so startled he spoke aloud. "What do you mean you're losing me to Touya?"

Before him, Touya huffed a laugh. "You really are dense, Yuki."

 _Really_ , Yue added.

Yukito blinked at Touya and felt a blush creep over his face. "But...I'm…"

Touya took a step closer, a step much closer to Yukito. "Do you dislike me, Yuki?"

"No! But I'm...I've lived so long and…"

"And you're human now even if Yue isn't," Touya said. He took another step, so close the two were practically breathing the same air. "Tell me your heart doesn't feel what mine does."

 _Don't you dare_ , Yue warned. _Because it does and I know it and so do you._

Yukito swallowed against a throat suddenly dry. "My feelings...are similar."

"Good." And Touya closed the distance between them and took Yukito into his arms.

And Yukito forgot that he had been alive for centuries, that he had seen Touya born. That he was a disguise for a magical creature. Because right then in that instant, he was only Yukito, and he was only Touya's. Maybe he had only ever been Touya's, even from the day he had been created. And would only be Touya's long after all magic faded from the world.

"But don't think I'm forgetting that Yue is trying to distract me," Touya muttered, his mouth altogether deliciously close to Yukito's ear. "I'll just deal with that later."

Yukito was too lost to bother with Yue's silent triumph.

"So." Keroberos looked to where Prince Hiiragizawa and Kaho were watching the whole affair with small smiles. "What happens now?"

"Now, we return to the castle and begin to rebuild the Kingdom," the Prince said. "Sakura is a little young yet to rule, but I'm sure her father and brother will help her. And I will also assist in any way that I can. In a sense, Sakura is the nearest thing I have to Clow as well, and I intend to cherish that connection."

"There will be a great deal of work to do to fix the Kingdom," Kaho said gently. "But I'm sure Sakura can do it."

Prince Hiiragizawa looked across to where Sakura and Syaoran were still closely holding one another, beatific smiles on their faces. But he perceived not only her outward happiness, but the brilliant glow of magic that swelled within her, a power that was still not yet at its peak, but which had been enough to fulfill and exceed even Clow Reed's expectations.

"Yes," he said. "I would expect nothing else from her."

When Sakura was at last calm again and could separate herself from Syaoran, she darted in turn to her brother and her new Guardians, hugging each tightly and crying just a little bit more at the relief that they were well and that the worst was over.

When she approached the Prince at last, she did it at the head of rather an entourage. Syaoran stood at her shoulder, and she was flanked by Yukito and Keroberos. Touya stood to one side, but his expression warned that he would not take kindly to the Prince being anything but polite to his sister.

It was Mizuki Kaho who made the introductions. "Please allow me to present Hiiragizawa Eriol, Prince of the White Jade Throne."

Sakura blinked, then started to drop to one knee to bow properly before one of higher rank.

But the Prince held out a hand. "Stop."

And he bent his own knee, not lowering it to the ground as he would only for the Emperor, but in a courtly bow, his extended hand reaching out to catch Sakura's frozen fingers. Then he drew her upward to face him evenly.

"You owe me no obeisance, Kinomoto Sakura. Never to me. You are my brother's one true inheritor, the heir he chose, the heir fate selected so well." He paused and his deep eyes grew soft and almost sad. "He would have been pleased to stand here beside us if only to see in you what is so clear to myself."

Sakura blushed. "Um...thank you?"

Eriol smiled. "You need not be so hesitant. The instant you broke the Seal on the Key of Clow, you inherited his Kingdom, so in a sense, we are now equals. You may speak to me however you wish – we are within your own lands."

At that, Sakura blushed even more. "I know that's true, but...I'm not sure I can...that is…" she glanced to Syaoran.

He took the hand the Prince was not holding. "It's all right. I know you can do it."

"More importantly," the Prince said, "I intend to offer an alliance with your Kingdom, a full partnership. I will use my own powers to help restore what you have lost and to shore up the Kingdom's protections to prevent such an incursion from happening ever again."

Here, Touya stepped forward. "Earlier, we were told there would be a cost for this help. A promise and an act of mercy. What does that mean, exactly?"

The Prince nodded. "You are wise to recall it, but you need not be troubled. The promise is one that has already been made, a promise for the heir of Clow's powers to restore them in full and to love and care for them."

"I can definitely keep that promise." Sakura smiled.

"And the act of mercy?" Yukito asked.

The Prince faced Sakura directly. "I implore you, Kinomoto Sakura, heir of Clow Reed...to call me by my name."

When Sakura rocked back on her heels in surprise, the Prince held fast to her hand between his own and tightened his grip.

"I have been the Prince of the White Jade Throne for longer than you can guess. And since the death of my brother, rare has it been for anyone to know me as anything but that. I have had no equal, no kindred soul of magic. I have been lucky to find one companion," and he tipped his head ever so slightly towards Kaho, "but I confess that a part of myself was lost with the death of my brother Clow."

Sakura felt a lump rise in her throat. "You would help me take care of the whole Kingdom just for...for calling you by name?" When he nodded, she tightened her own fingers in his. "But what if I wanted more than that?"

Only Yukito had the angle to see the sudden flash of panic in Syaoran's face, but he did not laugh.

"What do you mean?" the Prince asked.

"What if I wanted to be your friend?" Sakura took a breath and smiled radiantly. "My name is Sakura. I would like you to call me that, too, please. Eriol."

Eriol's own unexpected smile was bright and clearly deeply moved. "Thank you, Sakura. I would very much like to be your friend."

It is entirely possible Sakura might have stood in the clearing forever, smiling at her new friends, her brother, her Guardians, and Syaoran, except that there was so much more healing needed for so many others throughout the land.

It was Syaoran who gave a slight tug to her hand in his. "We need to get back to the castle. Your father will be very worried, and there will be lots of people we need to help."

"Oh!" Sakura gasped. "You're right! And there's the curse Madoushi left behind, and the guards and...we have to get back as quickly as we can."

Eriol smiled privately, but said nothing.

Keroberos nudged Sakura. "Release your wand. We'll introduce you to two more of your Cards."

And so, at his direction, Sakura gathered everyone together and invoked the power of Float, which easily lifted the group into the air encased in a stable bubble of magic. Then, when Float had carried them above the tree-tops, Sakura called out another Card called Dash, which sent them skipping through the air faster even than either of the Guardians could fly. A trip that had taken Sakura more than an hour and Syaoran more than two days was ended in a matter of minutes when Dash retreated and Float carefully lowered the assembled group to the castle grounds.

But what none could have expected was the huge crowd of people gathered outside the castle; indeed, it appeared many from the castle and the surrounding towns and estates had converged together and they were cheering as Sakura brought her group to the ground.

But one cry stood out from them all. "Sakura! Syaoran! Touya!"

Kinomoto Fujitaka raced through the throng of people to his children. While Keroberos's true form and the sternly serene gaze of Prince Hiiragizawa kept the crowd at bay, Fujitaka dropped to a knee and pulled Sakura into his arms.

"Are you all right, Sakura?"

She held him back. "I'm fine, Father. Everything is fine now!"

He drew apart from her enough to see her face. "I know. Everyone's memories have returned. They know us again." He turned to where Syaoran stood. "Thank you for protecting her."

And Syaoran did not resist when he was drawn into the embrace alongside Sakura.

A moment later, Fujitaka stood, but kept one hand each on their shoulders as he looked to his son. "Touya. I see you brought help after all."

"He did," the Prince interjected, "but it was not needed. Sakura has released the Seal on the Key of Clow. She defeated Madoushi herself."

Fujitaka could only look down to her in wonder. But then he smiled. "Your Mother told me she thought you might be the one. She would be proud of you now. As I am proud of you, Sakura."

Sakura's eyes filled with tears again and his did as well. And he pulled her against him, tucking Syaoran close, and reached for Touya and Yukito – to Yukito's great surprise, but apparently not anyone else's, including Yue – to initiate a hug for them all.

And if Touya found a way to get his arms around everyone in the hug _but_ Syaoran, well, Sakura didn't notice it and that was all that mattered.

But they broke the hug only after a few joy-filled moments, for there was so much to do. Those who had once been closest to the Steward and his family and who had fled with him were coming forth, bursting with questions and longing to apologize for slights or outright unkindness they had shown in the years under Madoushi's curse. Right at the head of them was Daidoji Tomoyo, whose eyes were wet and who wanted to hug Sakura and beg to be her friend again.

But there were still many who had been paralyzed who needed to be restored and the magical barrier locking the Kingdom from the outside world needed to be dispelled and the whole Kingdom would want to hear the story of Sakura who had found within herself a hidden power strong enough to break the Seal of Clow, strong enough to defeat Madoushi, and strong enough to restore more of Clow's legacy than anyone had even remembered.

But when Fujitaka released his children – and those who were his children if not by blood than by another kind of love – and made his proper greetings to the Prince of the White Jade Throne; while Touya and Yukito began to help Keroberos clear a path to the castle so they could address everyone from one of the balconies where the crowd would be able to see without crushing their new ruler; while Mizuki Kaho began giving orders for the guards who had been spared to help the crowd assemble in the castle courtyard and also to bring any individuals still cursed into the throne room so she could begin to restore them – while all this was happening around them, Syaoran took both of Sakura's hands.

"You're going to be Queen now," he said softly.

"Will I?" she asked, tipping her head. "I don't know. I'm not ready to rule the Kingdom. I'll have to have Father and Touya and you and everyone else help me out for a long time."

Syaoran shook his head. "Even so, they'll make you Queen. As they should."

Sakura saw uncertainty in Syaoran's eyes. "What is it?"

Syaoran could never have looked away from her even if it meant his death. "I...would like to stay with you. If you will let me. I'm not a Prince like he is." He raised a shoulder towards Prince Hiiragizawa. "And I can't even be heir to the Li Clan anymore, so I don't have anything to make me worthy of you…"

"You've got that right, you twerp," Touya muttered where only Yukito could hear, who promptly elbowed him sharply.

Syaoran drew Sakura's hands together between them and clasped to his chest. "But I love you, Sakura. I loved you long ago and I will always love you. And I gave a vow on my honor and all my magic to protect you that I intend to keep for the rest of my life. So...I would like to stay at your side. If you will have me."

Sakura closed her eyes. "When I thought Madoushi had killed you, I was more scared than I had ever been in my whole life. And when you were alive in the forest, I was never happier."

She opened her eyes. "Why do you think being Queen would make me forget how important you are to me? How important my feelings for you are? Unless it changes your feelings towards me?"

"Never!" Then Syaoran swallowed. "But…"

Sakura smiled. "It was you who saved me so many times, Syaoran. And it's you who are more important to me than anyone else in the world. If you couldn't stay here, I would go wherever you went. But if you're right and they do make me Queen, it will be easier on everyone if we stay here together. Forever. Right?"

Sakura pulled her hands from his so she could fling herself once again into his arms – and she never wanted to be anyplace else.

"Whether I'm the heir of Clow Reed or the Queen or just Sakura, I love you, Syaoran. And as long as we hold onto this feeling, I'm sure we'll be able to protect our Kingdom and we'll be together forever. I'm sure of it."

And Sakura was right.

-==OOO==-

The End


End file.
